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Israel Sees Record Election Turnout Amidst Political Calls · Israel Today: Ongoing War Report

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Israel Today ongoing war report. I'm Noah Levi.
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  Speaker 1: Israel's 2026 Knesset elections have seen unprecedented voter participation, with
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  Speaker 1: the Central Elections Committee announcing a historical record of 44.9%
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  Speaker 1: turnout by 2pm. Earlier in the day, by noon, some
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  Speaker 1: 2 million Israelis had voted, putting national turnout at 31.5%.
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  Speaker 1: according to Central Elections Committee Acting Director-General Dean Livni. This
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  Speaker 1: figure is up 3.1 percentage points from the same hour
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  Speaker 1: in the 2022 election. Trends varied across communities. While several
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  Speaker 1: Arab-majority cities reported turnout figures surpassing their final 2022 totals
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  Speaker 1: by early evening, predominantly Haredi communities like Bnei Brak and
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  Speaker 1: Elad remained below their previous election numbers. Jerusalem, however, saw
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  Speaker 1: its turnout exceed the 2022 final figure, Prime Minister Benjamin
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  Speaker 1: Netanyahu issued an urgent appeal on X, describing the situation
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  Speaker 1: as an emergency call and warning that high Arab participation
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  Speaker 1: could affect the election's outcome. He urged right-wing supporters to
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  Speaker 1: vote Likud, stating, The future of our Jewish state is
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  Speaker 1: at stake. Finance Minister Beit Salel Smotrich also coordinated efforts
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  Speaker 1: to increase turnout among right-wing supporters. Shah's chairman Arai Derry
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  Speaker 1: similarly expressed concern over turnout among Arab and left-wing voters.
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  Speaker 1: warning of efforts to unseat the current government. Tensions were
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  Speaker 1: also reported near polling stations in Lod, where verbal altercations
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  Speaker 1: erupted between Arabs and Jews, accompanied by shouts of Allahu Akbar.
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  Speaker 1: The severe weather also impacted Election Day, with storm conditions
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  Speaker 1: reportedly stranding residents attempting to reach polling stations. As polls close,
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  Speaker 1: attention turns to exit poll projections and analysis of potential
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  Speaker 1: coalition outcomes for the next Knesset. with reports indicating sample
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  Speaker 1: results from various channels are being disseminated. Meanwhile, in other news,
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  Speaker 1: severe weather conditions have led to significant challenges in southern Israel.
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  Speaker 1: Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms have triggered widespread flash flooding across
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  Speaker 1: the Negev, Arava and Dead Sea regions, prompting multiple rescue operations.
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  Speaker 1: All major roads leading to and from Eilat have been closed,
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  Speaker 1: with limited access permitted toward Ramon Airport. Authorities are warning
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  Speaker 1: that flooding could intensify overnight and continue into Wednesday, urging
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  Speaker 1: the public to avoid flooded roads, desert streams and non-essential travel.
• 2:36
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• 2:45
  Speaker 1: I'm Noah Levi, thank you for listening to Israel Today
• 2:48
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  Speaker 1: a