Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his challenger in Monday’s election, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, escalated their attacks on each other on Saturday night ahead of Monday’s election. Both Netanyahu and Gantz gave interviews to Channels 12 and 13 and held rallies closing their campaigns, Likud in Ramat Gan and Blue and White in Tel Aviv. At the Blue and White rally, Gantz called upon Blue and White activists to be cognizant of attempts by Likud to enable forgeries and to mislead voters, a reference to the coronavirus. “I am warning you, Netanyahu will try to interfere with Election Day,” Gantz said. “He did it in the past, and he will do it with more sophisticated means this Election Day. We are ready for every possibility, and I ask you to pay attention.” Gantz said there was no way he would sit under Netanyahu with three investigations hanging over his head. He said it was clear that Netanyahu wanted a fourth election, so he could remain living in the Prime Minister’s Residence during his trial and then pass legislation to evade prosecution. Netanyahu mocked his own criminal indictments and questions about his ability to continue running the country while on trial. He listed his accomplishments and said he had achieved them “even though I have had 15 investigations” and “been on trial in the media for three years.” Regarding Gantz, Netanyahu said, “he is nice, and some say cute, but he is not a leader.” Responding to Gantz repeatedly comparing him to Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Netanyahu said “Gantz compares me to a mass murderer and then he complains about incitement?” Netanyahu also attacked Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, ruling out appointing him a minister if he forms the next government. Final polls broadcast on Channel 12 and Channel 13 on Friday night predicted 58 and 56 seats, respectively, for Netanyahu’s Right-Center bloc.
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