Netanyahu and Smotrich Hold Emergency Meeting Amid High Voter Turnout
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich held an emergency meeting with local leaders on election day to boost voter turnout for the "National Camp." They expressed concern over high turnout in rival sectors and the risk of votes being lost to parties failing to pass the electoral threshold. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also made public appeals for voters to turn out. Meanwhile, efforts to convince a potential right-wing candidate, Ofer Winter, to withdraw from the race have reportedly failed.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Netanyahu and Smotrich held an emergency meeting to boost "National Camp" voter turnout on election day.
- Officials warned that high turnout could cause votes to be lost to parties failing the electoral threshold.
- Minister Ben-Gvir made public appeals for voters to turn out, citing high Arab sector turnout.
- Haredi voter turnout was reported as unusually low compared to other sectors.
- Efforts to convince candidate Ofer Winter to withdraw from the race reportedly failed.
- New guidelines were issued to speed up voting due to heavy crowding at polling stations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich convened an urgent emergency meeting with dozens of local authority heads on election day, amid record voter turnout figures. The meeting aimed to urgently mobilize voters for the "National Camp" in the remaining hours before polls close at 10 PM. Officials warned that high overall turnout increases the threshold for parties to pass the electoral "blockage" (אחוז החסימה), risking lost mandates for the right if votes go to parties that fail to cross it.
Netanyahu urged local leaders to encourage people to vote, cautioning against "liberal right" parties, stating, "This is not right, this is fake right! We can win only if we get people out to vote. If he doesn't pass the blockage threshold, the mandates go to us." Smotrich specifically directed leaders in Judea and Samaria to mobilize their field teams and volunteers to head to major cities, instructing them to leave skeleton crews in their communities and descend upon urban centers.
Smotrich also highlighted the high turnout in the left-wing and Arab sectors, warning, "We could lose! Explain why not to vote for Winter and other small parties, because with the high turnout, they won't pass the blockage threshold. It's hopeless." The emergency meeting was part of the "Winning Right" field operation, led by field campaign manager Israel Gantz, involving approximately 4,500 volunteers and dozens of buses nationwide.
Meanwhile, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir made emergency calls at Riviera Beach in Bat Yam and near Kafr Qasim, urging right-wing and Arab voters to turn out. He expressed concern over high Arab sector turnout, stating, "If you want this country to remain Jewish and Zionist, if you don't want it in the hands of Mansour Abbas and Ahmed Tibi, go out and vote." A senior Haredi official described the situation as a genuine crisis with unusually low Haredi voter turnout compared to other sectors.
In recent days, pressure was applied by the Prime Minister's office on prominent rabbis to convince retired Brigadier General Ofer Winter, chairman of the "Am Israel" party, to withdraw from the race. However, Rabbi Bneiahu Shmueli, under whom Winter studies, and Rabbi David Abuchatzeira both refused to intervene in Winter's political decisions, with Abuchatzeira even expressing support for Winter's candidacy.
Due to heavy crowding at polling stations, the Central Elections Committee updated guidelines for poll workers, allowing the identification of the next voter while the current one is voting behind the curtain to expedite the process. The committee's director-general warned poll workers against allowing congestion, and clarified that expired, but identifiable, ID cards are still valid for voting.
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