00:00Israel's crucial elections are underway and there's a strong voter turnout.
00:05It's reached about 44.9%.
00:07Now, Israeli media cites Election Commission Committee in Israel.
00:13The Central Election Committee saying that there is increased voter turnout.
00:17And this is significantly higher than 38.9% recorded at the same time during the 2022 elections.
00:23More than 7.3 million people in Israel are eligible to vote to elect 120 members.
00:30For their kineset of the Israeli parliament in the first national elections since the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks.
00:38Now, at the center of this high-stakes contest is Israel's longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
00:46A leader who's dominated Israel's politics for decades but now is facing perhaps the biggest test of his political career.
00:55Netanyahu's Likud party and its far-right coalition partners are up against the opposition bloc that includes the Yashar party,
01:03led by former army chief, military chief, Gandhi Eisenkot.
01:07Now, the stakes are enormous for both.
01:11Security issues surrounding the October 7, 2023 terror attack, Hamas-led attacks, the fallout of the war in West Asia,
01:20allegations of financial impropriety and rising cost of living and deep divisions over Netanyahu's leadership have all become very key
01:27issues for the voter.
01:29The election is also drawing Israelis back from overseas.
01:33So, in tens and thousands, they're reportedly returning to Israel to vote.
01:38And I quickly want to cut across to India Today's Pranay Upadhyay, who joins us from Ground Zero in Jerusalem.
01:44Pranay, high voter turnout.
01:47What does this mean for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?
01:51Does this indicate endorsement or change?
01:56You know, Gaurav, as you and I are having this conversation, a meeting is going in the election committee and
02:02they are reviewing that there are requests that large number of voters are still in queue
02:07and whether they should consider to extend the voting time because so far 10 hours of voting has already been
02:13done and five more hours to go because the voting continues till 10 p.m.
02:17And there is significantly higher voter turnout as far as this election of Israel is concerned.
02:22And as you and I have been discussing, that this is one of the fiercely contested election in the electoral
02:28history, in the political history of Israel,
02:30because not only the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his policies are concerned,
02:35the recent statement which has been put out by or given by Prime Minister Netanyahu, he said that in the
02:40Arab sectors,
02:41large number of voters are in queue, they are voting, people of Israel should come out, they should vote.
02:47So you can very well see that, you know, which way this election could swing because it's a tiebreaker kind
02:53of a situation.
02:53It's a very fiercely contested election.
02:55No party, no coalition is projected to win this election in a clear majority.
03:00And that's why it makes the electoral arithmetic of Israel very complicated,
03:05in which the role of these Arab parties will be very important.
03:09But both the coalition, coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu and coalition led by Gandhi Eisenhower
03:13has made it clear that they are not going to take the support of these Arab parties.
03:17So what will be the political fate of Israel will be sealed in the ballot boxes
03:21and will come out only after the exit polls will show us at 10 or 5 p.m. in the
03:29night.
03:30And we'll be tracking that story very closely.
03:32But tell me this, either ways, you know, whether it's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition
03:37or Gandhi Eisenhower's coalition, either ways,
03:42India-Israel relations remain extremely strong and will remain so?
03:49Absolutely right, Gaurav.
03:50Since you have also reported from this country, you know it very well,
03:53that over the years, what kind of goodwill India has generated in the land of Israel.
03:58And in fact, people come out very openly, very warmly when they get to know that you are from India.
04:04And, you know, as a journalist as well, you get some kind of special access
04:07when you show your Indian identity card and you tell them.
04:10And in terms of the strategy partnership, in terms of the defense collaboration.
04:14Absolutely. You know, I spoke to some of the young voters in the Knesset,
04:18the Israeli parliament, and they were, you know, they were making all kind of like, you know,
04:23they were appreciating, they did salute Captain Smith Machar
04:27and he has become a popular figure in Israel.
04:30Oh, absolutely.
04:31So, India-Israel relations remain strong.
04:34It's an election that's too close to call.
04:36When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Arab quarters are coming in large numbers to vote
04:42or the left wing is coming out in large numbers to vote,
04:46does that not, does that indicate nervousness?
04:50This definitely indicates some kind of concern, some kind of nervousness.
04:55And in fact, he's trying to encourage his voters.
04:57Because look, we have to factor in this thing, Gaurav,
05:00that he's the longest serving Prime Minister of Israel.
05:03And he is considered as, you know, magician of Israeli politics
05:07because, you know, he is master of coalition.
05:10He has navigated the electoral politics of Israel.
05:13But if this time he is giving this kind of call,
05:16this clearly shows that he has his own concern regarding the voter turnout.
05:22And also he's encouraging his core voters to come out in big numbers
05:25and vote in his support or support of his coalition.
05:29Because one thing is very clear, Gaurav, in this election,
05:33that it is a contest between right and far right.
05:37It is a contest.
05:37This election is revolving around the security of Israel,
05:42that who is going to ensure the safety and security of Israel.
05:45And no matter who rules Israel,
05:48but the policies are largely going to continue in terms of operational matters.
05:54Keep tracking that story.
05:55I will come back to you for more.
05:57Pranev Padia is our man on ground zero.
05:59And we'll get to the latest developments in Israel
06:02that not just the region, but the world is tracking closely.
06:05Pranev Padia is our man on ground zero.
06:05Pranev Padia is our man on ground zero.
06:05Pranev Padia is our man on ground zero.
06:06Pranev Padia is our man on ground zero.
