As Israel’s parliamentary elections approach, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns of a significant increase in Arab voter turnout, expressing concern that Israel’s future as a Jewish state is at risk. He urges right-wing supporters to turn out, warning that his Likud party and its allies could face defeat if they stay home. In a last-ditch effort, Netanyahu and Finance Minister Smotrich held an emergency meeting with local authority heads to boost right-wing voter turnout and warned against supporting Avigdor Liberman, emphasizing grassroots mobilization.
Palestinian politicians have criticized Netanyahu’s strategy, viewing it as racist and inflammatory. The stakes are highlighted by early voter turnout data: 55.7% by 4:00 p.m., with Arab voters comprising approximately 21% of the total population. Netanyahu’s appeal is clear: "We need to wake people up, get them out of their homes to vote, and make sure they don't, God forbid, vote for Liberman. That's not right-wing, that's fake right-wing."
If we don't wake up now, we'll find ourselves with a government of Mansour Abbas and Ahmed Tibi, Netanyahu warned. He also stated, "it was an emergency appeal and urged citizens to go out and vote immediately."
Netanyahu’s appeal is clear: "We need to wake people up, get them out of their homes to vote, and make sure they don't, God forbid, vote for Liberman.
Smotrich directed: "Local authority heads in Judea and Samaria, leave emergency response teams in the communities. Everyone else should head down to the cities, join gathering points and the joint Likud-Religious Zionist headquarters, and go door to door."
Elections are scheduled for 2026-10-27, following an emergency meeting held on the same date.