Newsletters
Israeli police detained a man carrying a knife near Democratic Party leader Yair Golan during a get-out-the-vote tour in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, though police said he did not threaten Golan at any point.
The Democrats party said the man approached Golan "in a threatening manner" in Park HaMesila and that a large knife fell from his clothing when bodyguards blocked him, while police said the incident was not a stabbing attempt.
"Golan’s bodyguards blocked him, and as they approached him, a large knife slipped from inside his clothing and fell to the ground," the party said.
The guards subdued him before he could act.
Police said the suspect is a Jerusalem resident in his 20s who "did not threaten Golan at any stage."
He was taken aside after officers noticed an object protruding under his coat and found a knife, police said. He is suspected of knife possession and was taken for questioning at the Lev Tel Aviv police station, where the investigation continues.
"Incitement and violence will not deter us," Golan said, blaming what he called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s "poison machine" and his "Qatari agents" for incitement against him.
He urged Israelis to vote.
Police had previously raised Golan’s threat level to four out of six. On Monday, after a prolonged legal battle, the Shin Bet security service took over his security detail.
The incident came as tensions rose over Netanyahu’s repeated claims, made without evidence, that opponents are trying to "steal the election."
"Netanyahu is panicking and has begun making up stories and claiming that the election is being stolen. This is no accident. He is already laying the groundwork to challenge the election results," Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party said. "Today’s margin must be enormous, a lead that cannot be manipulated."
Netanyahu also posted on X about "mass voter turnout figures in Arab communities," warning that "buses are leaving for voting ballots in Arab communities."
"Huge lines at polling stations in the Arab sector. If we don't wake up now, we'll find ourselves with a government of Mansour Abbas and Ahmed Tibi. This is the time to wake up and act! Call your family and friends now, go together to the polling stations and vote Machal," he wrote in another tweet.
Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, told Haaretz it had received numerous reports of systematic delays at polling stations in Arab communities from the Negev to the Galilee.
"In many Bedouin communities, people report waiting for hours, and polling station staff are taking a very long time to verify each voter’s identity," said Yeela Raanan, an election monitor.
The Central Elections Committee issued updated guidance allowing voters with expired ID cards to vote if the photo is clear and urging continuous voting flow.
"We promise, everyone will vote. If there is a line at 10 p.m., the polling stations will continue to operate until everyone who arrived by 10 p.m. has voted," acting director-general Dean Livne said.
Turnout reached 31.5% by noon, the highest at that hour since 1973.
Israelis continue voting on Tuesday in the general election for the 120-seat Knesset, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former army chief Gadi Eisenkot leading the main rival camps.
Neither bloc is assured of securing the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority, raising the prospect of coalition negotiations after the vote.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
