Israel reports highest election turnout in 53 years amid strong Arab, opposition participation

Voter turnout in Israel’s general elections reached 31.5% by noon local time (1000GMT) on Tuesday, the highest level recorded at that hour since 1973, according to the Central Elections Committee, Anadolu reports. A total of 2.39 million Israelis had cast their ballots by noon, an increase of more than 3 percentage points compared with the previous election, according to the committee. Extremist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attributed the high turnout to exceptionally strong participation among Arab voters and in left-wing strongholds. In a social media post, Smotrich said the increase in participation was driven by unusually high voting rates in Arab communities and areas traditionally supporting left-wing parties. Arab Knesset member Ahmad Tibi also reported unusually high participation, expressing confidence […]