Tibi urges Arab voters to flock to Israeli polls

JERUSALEM

Israeli Arab lawmaker Ahmed Tibi on Tuesday urged Arab citizens to go out in droves to cast ballot in the Knesset (parliament) elections.

"We're at a historical juncture and we need to prove to the world that there are Palestinians living on this land [Israel] despite all the discrimination and racism," Tibi told The Anadolu Agency.

"[Israel's] Arab population is going out to tell PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman and Israeli extremists that we're staying on this land," Tibi said.

"We will defend our rights through all institutions, including the Knesset," Tibi added.

Tibi is hopeful that the joint Arab list competing in the elections will clinch 13 seats, and will be the third largest parliamentary bloc in the Israeli Knesset.

The list is comprised of four parties: Hadash (the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality); the United Arab List; Balad (the National Democratic Assembly); and the Arab Movement for Renewal.

"As a list we have many options, but what remains constant is the interest of our people and their identity," he added.

Tibi went on to note that "Netanyahu is scaring Israelis of our participation, and we’re responding by saying that our people are exercising their rights and defending their existence."

Israelis on Tuesday flocked to polling stations nationwide to elect new legislators amid a dead heat between the incumbent Likud party and the center-left Zionist Union alliance.

The electoral commission has put the number of eligible voters for the 20th Knesset vote at 5,881,697, who will cast ballots at 10,372 polling stations.

Twenty-five lists are competing in the election, but opinion polls suggest that only 11 of these will likely exceed the 3.25-percent electoral threshold.

According to Israeli law, Election Day is an official holiday, on which polling stations open at 7am and close at 10pm.

According to the electoral commission, official poll results will be announced on Thursday.