From the Western Wall to Tel Aviv bars, candidates give last push ahead of election

With hours to go before voting booths opened for national elections, candidates spent Monday in a last-minute round of campaigning, visiting towns across the country, the Western Wall, and bars in Tel Aviv. Prime Minister Netanyahu, Finance Minister Smotrich, and National Security Minister Ben Gvir visited the Western Wall. Rivals Eisenkot and Bennett ended their day sharing drinks with supporters in Tel Aviv.

With just hours to go before voting booths opened for national elections, candidates spent Monday in a last-minute round of campaigning, visiting towns across the country, as well as the Western Wall and the bars of Tel Aviv. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir all made separate visits to the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City. Netanyahu spent the early part of the day recording campaign video clips and giving interviews. During a talk with the IETV channel, when asked why there is no Ethiopian community representative in a realistic place on the Likud slate, Netanyahu declared, “There is an Ethiopian Likud candidate. His name is Benjamin Netanyahu.” Netanyahu’s chief rival, Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, published a video dedicated to IDF soldiers that recalled his son and nephews killed in Gaza. Eisenkot also met with old army buddies and visited bars in Tel Aviv. B’Yachad leader Naftali Bennett filmed campaign clips, made calls to undecided voters, and toured Beersheba and Givatayim before ending the evening with drinks in Tel Aviv. Opposition Democrats leader Yair Golan walked the streets of Tel Aviv with party lawmakers. Far-right Otzma Yehudit leader Ben Gvir visited the Western Wall and ascended the Temple Mount without fanfare. Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman met activists and made phone calls, while the party claimed false notifications in Russian were being sent on WhatsApp. The Joint List alliance encouraged community members to vote. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 10 p.m.