JERUSALEM (AP) — With his political future in question, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday made a last-ditch appeal to hard-liners as the country went to the polls in a tight parliamentary election, saying that high Arab voter turnout was endangering his right-wing party's dominance.
Opinion polls had shown a close race heading into the vote, with Netanyahu's opponents, led by Isaac Herzog of the centrist Zionist Union, in a slight lead. The last available poll was published Friday, when a significant number of voters were still undecided, meaning the race was still too close to call.
But amid signs that his six-year reign could be in jeopardy, Netanyahu has veered sharply to the right in the closing days of the campaign, making a series of statements aimed at shoring up his hard-line, nationalist base.
On Tuesday, he reiterated a pledge to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state — backtracking from six years of his own policy and putting him at odds with the United States and other Western allies.
At midday, Netanyahu claimed high Arab voter turnout was putting his right-wing Likud Party's rule "in danger," according to a posting on his Facebook page. "Arab voters are going to the polls in droves. Left-wing organizations are bringing them in buses," he said.
He also called on supporters to vote for him to "narrow the gap" between Likud and the Zionist Union. "With your help, and with the help of God, we will build a nationalist government that will protect the state of Israel," he said.
