Message from Netanyahu to voters: Don't go to the sea, don't barbecue

While millions of voters go to the polls in Israel for the first general election since the October 7, 2023 attacks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is playing his final trump cards in the race that will determine his political future.

A close race is expected between Netanyahu's Likud Party and the opposition led by former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot. Approximately 7.3 million voters in the country have the right to vote. The polls will close at 22:00 local time.

In the final stage of the election campaign, Netanyahu added a very casual warning to his usual security and war rhetoric: Postpone the sea and barbecue plans, go to the polls.

In his message published in Hebrew, Netanyahu made an urgent appeal to Likud voters and said:

“This is an urgent appeal to Likud voters!

Nobody stays at home today. No sea, no barbecue. Get your family, friends and neighbors to go to the polls, too.

The future of our Jewish state is at stake: either a strong right-wing government or a left-wing government with the support of Arab parties.

We are going together, with all our strength, to vote for Likud!”

The Prime Minister's emphasis on the possibility of a government that can be formed with the support of Arab parties is considered to be a part of his campaign strategy to mobilize right-wing voters.

One of the developments that stood out in the Israeli press on election day was that participation in the ballot box reached its highest levels in recent years. According to publications citing Haaretz data, turnout had risen to 31.5 percent as of 12:00 p.m. This rate is the highest recorded for the same hour since 1977.

The opposition Eisenkot's party applied to the Central Election Commission, claiming that ballot papers were lost or damaged in some polling stations. The commission said it was examining individual complaints, but found no evidence of systematic election sabotage.

The most important unknown of the elections, hours before the polls close, is whether the Arab parties that Netanyahu warned about will be decisive in the formation of the new government.