Benny Gantz, the main challenger to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the nation’s general election on Tuesday, promised a “new path” for the country after casting his vote.
“I’m happy to place myself at the service of the state of Israel,” the former Israeli armed forces chief said in his hometown of Rosh Haayin.
“I’m happy to stand for the good of the citizens on a new path,” he added. “We shall respect democracy and call for a respectful and quiet day from all sides.”
Photo: AFP
The high-stakes election was between extending Netanyahu’s long right-wing tenure, despite corruption allegations, and replacing him with an ex-military chief new to politics.
The vote was expected to be close and lead to frantic negotiations to form a government coalition once results were in. Final results were not expected until early today.
Gantz has mounted a strong challenge to the veteran prime minister by brandishing his security credentials, while pledging to undo damage that he says Netanyahu has inflicted on the country with divisive politics.
Netanyahu has engaged in populist rhetoric that critics say amounts to the demonization of Arab Israelis and others.
University professor Ronit Kampf was among the first to cast ballots at a Jerusalem polling station and said she was concerned by the corruption allegations.
“Bibi has been in power too long,” she said, using Netanyahu’s nickname. “There is going to be a big change. What kind of change, I don’t know exactly, but there will be a change.”
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number