Mass demo in Tel Aviv closes right-wing election campaign

Tens of thousands of supporters of the right-of-center parties packed Tel Aviv Rabin Square and surrounding streets Sunday night. They heard Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu appealing for a high turnout to focus on his Likud to close the four-seat margin gained by the left-of-center block led by Yitzhak Herzog’s Zionist Union in the polls.
The huge crowd also heard Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett, who pledged support for Netanyahu as future prime minister, as well as transport minister Yisrael Katz and former minister Benny Begin. The prime minister spoke behind a reinforced glass panel amid tight security. After his address, police wrestled to the ground a young man he tried to jump on the speaker’s platform. Otherwise the rally passed off without interruption.
By law, electioneering and the release of opinion polls must be discontinued 48 hours before the polling stations open on Tuesday, March 17.. Exit polls are promised the same night shortly after 2200 hours.