As the clock runs down on elections day Tuesday, Central Elections Committee head Judge Salim Joubran accepted a petition banning the broadcast of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's speech Tuesday night, reasoning that the address constitutes forbidden elections propaganda.
Joubran, an Arab Supreme Court judge who raised a storm by refusing to sing the Israeli national anthem back in 2012, ruled in favor of the petition that was submitted by Yesh Atid and the "Zionist Camp" joint list of Yitzhak Herzog's Labor and Tzipi Livni's Hatnua.
The judge referenced the ruling of his predecessor in the previous elections, Judge Elyakim Rubinstein, who wrote at the time "we are in the last day of elections campaigning, and all words by members of the political system will be broadcasts of propaganda in the most blatant manner."
Netanyahu responded furiously to the ruling banning the press conference he had planned to hold at the Prime Minister's Residence.
"The 'anyone but Bibi (Netanyahu)' party doesn't stop talking without any interference," Netanyahu said angrily, referencing Labor. "The only one who they decided to forbid speaking is me - the prime minister from the Likud."
Netanyahu vowed "no one will silence me."
Despite Netanyahu's charges of being singled out, Walla! claims that in making the decision Joubran also forbid the broadcast of Herzog and Livni's speeches in Modi'in to be held Tuesday night, ruling that their speeches likewise are forbidden propaganda.
The voter turnout as of 6 p.m. stood at 54.6% of those eligible to vote, according to reports from 8,791 ballot boxes. That figure is slightly behind the 55.5% turnout recorded last year, but still constitutes a high showing.