5th one in THREE years….
And Bibi Netanyahu is trying a comeback…..
For the fifth time since 2019, Israelis were voting in national elections on Tuesday, hoping to break the political deadlock that has paralyzed the country for the past three and a half years.
Again, the vote centers around former premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s fitness to lead while he faces corruption charges. And while polls predict another stalemate, Netanyahu is looking to the surging power of far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir to propel him back to power.
Election officials said that by 2 p.m. local time, turnout stood at 38.9%, the highest at that time since 1999. But there was no breakdown of the vote that might show who was benefitting.
Netanyahu’s main rival is the man who helped oust him last year, the centrist caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who has warned against the nationalist and religious alliance that would emerge should Netanyahu return to power…
image…Caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid (left) faces a challenge from the returning Benjamin Netanyahu (right)…CNN