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                  Netanyahu Seeks Fourth Term as Israelis Vote

   by VOA News

   Voters are going to the polls Tuesday in Israel where Prime Minister
   Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking a fourth term as prime minister.

   The latest pre-election surveys for the 120-member parliament showed
   Netanyahu's conservative Likud party trailing a few seats behind a
   center-left alliance led by Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog.

   With neither candidate expected to win the 61-seat parliamentary
   majority, there has been a furious campaign push by the candidates to
   rally support from smaller groups ranging from communist and Arab-led
   parties to orthodox Jewish blocs.

   Netanyahu called Tuesday's election three months ago when he fired his
   senior coalition partners. Analysts say these elections have become a
   referendum on the prime minister's leadership.

   Ahead of the voting, Netanyahu reversed his earlier stance on
   Palestinian statehood, saying Monday that he will never support a
   Palestinian state if he remains in office.

   "I think that whoever moves to establish a Palestinian state or intends
   to withdraw from territory is simply yielding territory for radical
   Islamic terrorist attacks against Israel - this is the genuine reality
   that was created here in the past few years. Those who do not
   understand that bury their heads in the sand," the Israeli leader said.

   Netanyahu critics cite his reversal on Palestinian statehood as
   evidence that he was never fully committed to the long-stalled Middle
   East peace process. Supporters largely attribute his revised stance to
   rising tensions with Hamas and its widely perceived Iranian backers.

   Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog has said Israel should negotiate with
   the Palestinians.
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   is-vote/2683204.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/netanyahu-seeks-fourth-term-as-israelis-vote/2683204.html