Amid signs that his six-year rein could be in jeopardy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today rued that Arabs are voting en masse and asked his supporters to come out in large numbers to narrow the gap.
"The right-wing government is in danger. Arab voters are going to the polls in droves. Left wing organisations are bringing them in buses," he warned in a message on Facebook.
Netanyahu's message on Facebook came shortly after the Joint List of Arab parties announced that as of 11 AM, 10 per cent of Israeli Arabs had voted, as opposed to 3 per cent at the same time in the last election.
"We only have you," a visibly fatigued Netanyahu pleaded.
"Go to the polls, bring your friends and family, vote Machal (Likud) to close the gap between us and Labour (Zionist Union)," he said.
"With your help and God's help, we will form a nationalist government that will protect the State of Israel."
Four Arab parties are fighting under one banner for the first time and they could become a factor in the coalition- building. Israeli Arabs make up 20 per cent of the population.
Arab lawmaker Ahmed Tibi responded to the Prime Minister's comments saying "he is in a panic".
"He is inciting against Arab voters who are taking advantage of their natural and democratic right as citizens," Tibi said. "Netanyahu and Likud are afraid, and therefore, I call on more and more of the Arab public to go to the polls so Netanyahu will continue panicking. Change is coming."
Netanyahu later said, "what's wrong is not that Arab citizens are voting, but that massive funds from abroad from left-wing NGOs and foreign governments is bringing them en masse to the polls in an organised way, thus twisting the true will of all Israeli citizens who are voting, for the good of the left."
His ruling right wing Likud party sent SMS to voters, saying "voting percentages tripled among the Arab population! The concern is coming true: The call by (Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas) and American money are bringing Arabs to the polls. Go vote!"
The SMS included a link to a Channel 1 news report that Abbas encouraged Arab lawmakers to form one party and recommend 54-year-old Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog as the Prime Minister. Herzog has promised to repair ties with the Palestinians.
Netanyahu had last week alleged that "tens of millions" of dollars were being spent by unspecified foreign governments and tycoons to topple him.
He came to power for the first time in 1996 and held the premiership until his crushing defeat in the 1999 election. He made a political comeback in 2009 and has been the premier ever since.
