ISRAELIS HEAD TO THE POLLS

Al-Quds, 26 Jumadil Awwal 1436 / 17 Maret 2015 (MINA)- Israelis head to the polls Tuesday in a vote seen as a referendum on embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who ruled out a Palestinian state as part of a last-ditch appeal to right-wing voters.

Around six million Israelis are eligible to take part in the vote to elect 120 deputies for the Knesset, or parliament, with polling stations opening at 7:00 a.m.

The ballot to choose Israel’s 20th parliament came about after Netanyahu, 65, called snap elections late last year as his fractious coalition government teetered on the brink of collapse, Ma’an News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

It will be Israel’s third election since 2009 and the biggest challenge for Netanyahu, who is see