Israel election: Polling stations open as Netanyahu battles to hang on to power

Benjamin Netanyahu is set to fight his toughest battle yet as Israeli citizens have started voting in an unprecedented second election, called after he failed to form a coalition in April.

The elections authorities have deployed some 3,000 monitors, some armed with body cameras, to the polling stations to combat any voting irregularity in the fraught election, in which over six million eligible voters are able to cast their ballot.

Exit polls are expected to be announced at 10pm with the official results being released on Wednesday.

However, polls showed once again there may not be a decisive victor, prompting fears of yet more elections on the horizon.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported Israeli President Reuven Rivlin vowing to "do everything I can to get an elected government in Israel as soon as possible and to avoid another election campaign."

A visibly frantic Mr Netanyahu, meanwhile, cancelled his last rallies over the weekend and held emergency meetings to discuss expected low voter turnout, which critics have called a ploy to drive more of his supporters to the polling stations.

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His campaign warned of an Arab dominated government if supporters did not vote Likud and urged youth to not be “complacent” in a serious of videos.

On Tuesday morning he urged people to "go vote" on his Twitter account. The day before, in a video message also posted on Twitter he said: "It's up to you! The (Likud) lead is very small."

His chief rival Benny Gantz, the country’s former army chief, meanwhile spoke to boisterous crowds in Kfar Ahmin, in the centre of the country after announcing he would make two former generals in his "Blue and White" party minister of defence and minister of education.

The last polls published by Israeli TV channel 11 and 12 show Mr Netanyahu neck and neck with chief rival Gantz, with both their parties securing around 32 seats. They also predict neither Mr Netanyahu’s right-wing block nor Gantz’s centre-left allies will be able to secure enough seats together to win the overall 61 seat majority needed to form a ruling government, prompting fears of a third election.

Commentators said Mr Netanyahu, who is campaigning under the shadow of indictment in three corruption cases, of “throwing everything but the kitchen sink” at the elections in his last-ditch attempt to secure a historic fifth term in office. His critics say he needs to stay in power as a shield against possible legal action in the future.

Just hours before polling stations opened, Mr Netanyahu vowed to annex "all the settlements" in the occupied West Bank, including an enclave deep in the heart of the largest Palestinian city: a move illegal under international law and sure to ignite conflict with the Palestinians and possibly the rest of the region if implemented.

"I intend to extend sovereignty on all the settlements and the (settlement) blocs," including "sites that have security importance or are important to Israel's heritage," Mr Netanyahu said in an interview with Israeli Army Radio.

It followed comments made a few days earlier where he vowed to immediately annex the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea area, which makes up just over 22 per cent of the West Bank, if re-elected.

He also arranged a meeting with President Donald Trump to mull the idea of a mutual defence treaty. Days before that he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, again part of a campaign to remind the public of his unique relationship with foreign leaders, and his diplomatic skills.

Israeli media also reported the prime minister came within a hair’s breadth of starting military offensive in Gaza after he was embarrassingly forced to flee the stage in a campaign rally in the southern city of Ashdod on Wednesday, when militants from Gaza fired at the city.

While the polls were bleak, the prime minister’s supporters remained confident that Mr Netanyahu and his rightwing Likud party would still win.

“There is no way that Likud won’t be in the ruling coalition, we are going win,” said Netta, 24, head of the Likud student faction at Hebrew University at a rally in Jerusalem on Monday.

“There isn’t anyone who comes close to Netanyahu.”

Raphel Ohyon, 66, a driving test instructor, agreed adding that Benny Gantz had “little to no experience” in politics.

The snap elections were called just months after the previous elections in the spring when Mr Netanyahu failed to form a ruling coalition, after his one-time ally and former-defense minister Avigdor Lieberman and his right-wing party Yisrael Beiteinu refused to join forces at the 11th hour.

Rather than allow Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to hand another political leader the chance to build a ruling coalition, Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party and its supporters voted to go back to the polls.

Prominent pollsters warned that there was a chance Mr Netanyahu might fail to build a government again, given so many centre-left parties have vowed not to join forces with Mr Netanyahu because of his likely indictment on graft charges. Mr Lieberman, whose party is polling at nine seats and could play kingmaker again, has also nominally promised to form a coalition with Mr Netanyahu's rivals Blue and White.

If no majority bloc is formed it could mean a third Israeli election.

“Netanyahu will have to make serious compromises," said Dahlia Scheindlin, a public opinion expert who has worked on seven election campaigns in Israel.

“Someone will have to give up their promises to get the ladder and climb down from the tree: Most of the Left-wing, parties like Labour have made it clear they will not form a government with Netanyahu," she added.

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