JERUSALEM: Israelis voted on Tuesday in a historic election billed as a referendum on the future of the West Bank, with the leading candidate, acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, promising to pull back from most of the territory and draw Israel’s final borders by 2010.
Barring an unexpected surge by hawkish parties, Israelis were expected to give a green light to Olmert’s proposal to separate from Palestinians after 39 years of military occupation.
Israel began the “disengagement” process last summer by withdrawing from the Gaza Strip, but Tuesday’s vote marked the first time Olmert has laid out a concrete vision for the West Bank’s future .
“This is perhaps the most important election in all of Israel’s life,” said Mordechai Aviv, 76, of Jerusalem. “We are going to separate between us and the Arabs. This is very important for us to continue having a Jewish state.” The voter turnout recorded at 10 am local time, however, was the lowest in the country’s history.
Meanwhile, two people were killed in an explosion in southern Israel. Islamic Jihad, a violent Palestinian militant group, claimed responsibility.
