Voting is under way in Israel in what could be a close race between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party and the center-left alliance of Labor's Isaac Herzog and Hatnua's Tzipi Livni.
Early reports showed a higher turnout than at the last Knesset election in 2013, especially among Arab voters. At 4 p.m. (9 a.m. EST), six hours before polling stations closed, 45.4 percent of all registered voters had already cast their ballot. Results could be declared soon after 10 p.m., but a lengthy period of negotiations over the formation of the next coalition government may follow.
More than 20 parties are vying for the 120 seats in the one-chamber Knesset, whose confidence the Israeli government needs to have. Opinion polls predict some 11 parties will cross the 3.25 percent threshold.
The Zionist Union has promised to repair relations with Palestinians and the international community while Netanyahu, whose Likud Party has trailed in opinion polls, vowed on Monday not to allow the creation of a Palestinian state if he wins a fourth term, contradicting earlier statements that he was backing the two-state solution.
Opinion polls last week showed a close race heading into the vote, showing the Zionist Union in a slight lead.
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.
Herzog voted in a polling station near his house in Tel Aviv, reminding voters that they could make a change. "We need to remember that Israel is a democratic country where the people decide," he said before casting his ballot, adding that the election was "between change and hope, and despair and disappointment".
