People Vote after Israeli Leaders Use Alarmist Virus Rumors to Win: Occupied Palestine

The voting began at 7 am and will come to an end at 10 pm Monday evening amid concerns that some could exploit fears of the coronavirus to affect the results after ten Israelis contacted the deadly virus.

Police said Sunday they were establishing a special task force to deal with the situation.

Benny Gantz, the leader of Blue and White party and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival, on Sunday accused the premier’s Likud party of spreading fake reports about the coronavirus to push supporters of his centrist alliance away from polling stations.

“It doesn’t bother the Likud propagandists to promote with all [their] strength the message that there’s the coronavirus in Givatayim. Did you ask yourselves why in fact Givatayim? Because it’s a stronghold of Blue and White,” Gantz tweeted.

“This is exactly what Netanyahu intends to do tomorrow,” the Blue and White leader added. “He intends to disrupt election day, spread fake news in every area identified with Blue and White.”

Gantz was referring to news reports that parts of a mall in Givatayim were shut down due to a suspected case of coronavirus infection.

The Likud party dismissed Gantz’s remarks, saying he “is talking nonsense.”

Israel has been mired in a political deadlock after two inconclusive elections last year failed to produce a clear winner.

The elections will see Israelis’ deciding whether Netanyahu, who has been indicted in a corruption scandal, should remain in office for a fifth term.