Young Israeli Arabs handing out election leaflets
Image caption,

Students in Nazareth are handing out leaflets encouraging Arab Israelis to vote in next week's election

ByYolande KnellMiddle East correspondent, Reporting fromNazareth
  • Published9 minutes ago

At rush hour in Nazareth, the largest Arab-majority city in Israel, students are handing out leaflets by the roadside urging motorists to vote in next week's closely fought, general election. Polls indicate that Arab parties could be left holding a critical balance of power.

Disaffection has often driven down past turnout among Arab Israelis - who account for about a fifth of the population and often describe themselves as Palestinian citizens of Israel. But this election, there is a strong push to get rid of the most right-wing governing coalition in the country's history - an alliance between veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.