Israel: Central Elections Committee rejects Netanyahu's request to extend voting hours

Hours after polling stations opened in Israel, Likud, the political party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asked the Central Elections Committee to extend voting hours beyond 10:00 p.m. local time.

"We have submitted a request to extend voting hours," Likud said in a statement reported by the Jerusalem News Syndicate (JNS).

However, the Central Election Committee later denied Netanyahu's request, arguing that there was no justification for extending voting hours.

Israelis are flocking to the polls. By mid-afternoon, turnout had reached 66.7% —a figure that breaks all previous records since voting rates began to be tracked by time slots.

Turnout among members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is also high. At 5:00 PM, voter turnout among soldiers stood at 68%.

The leading candidates have already cast their ballots. Netanyahu voted around 11:50 a.m. at a polling station in Jerusalem.

The President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, was an early riser, arriving at his designated polling place around 9:10 AM. "This is the story of Israel, an incredible nation that turns out to vote and decides its future," he said after casting his ballot.

From Washington, D.C., these elections are being closely followed. The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, praised Israel for being "a democracy" in a region "where there aren't many."