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Netanyahu within reach of comeback in Israeli election

Last polls before tomorrow’s elections predict that opposition head Benjamin Netanyahu is very close to achieving the 61-seat majority he needs in the Knesset to come back to power.
Former Israeli Prime Minister and Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to supporters inside a modified truck with a side bulletproof glass during a campaign event, Bnei Brak, Israel, Oct. 29, 2022.

TEL AVIV — Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu decided to end his election campaign in the town of Or Yehuda, a midsized city near Tel Aviv, where he traditionally enjoys enormous popularity. However, in the last election in March 2021 some of his supporters there didn’t bother voting. They were already worn-out.

Over the past few weeks, Netanyahu held similar campaign events in dozens of bastions of support for him and his Likud party. Similarly to Or Yehuda, in these places as well voting rates have dropped in the most recent election round. Looking back, this was one of the major factors that led to Netanyahu’s defeat. In his meetings this time around, Netanyahu has been trying to reach out personally to those Likud supporters who had not voted. He even visited people at home, sometimes two or three Likud-supporting families in one evening.

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