Unprecedented security measures will be in place next week for Israel’s national elections, which will occur against a background of terrorism threats by Islamic militants.
Police Commissioner Assaf Hefetz briefed senior security officers Wednesday on security surrounding the balloting.
More than 20,000 police and soldiers will be stationed across the country. About 3,000 of them will be in Jerusalem.
Security plans also call for a full closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip three days before election sin an effort to thwart possible terrorist attacks.
“This is an unprecedented operation,” Hefetz said, attributing some of the safety measures to the politically charged atmosphere of the elections.
Hefetz said police had already dealt with 120 cases of campaign-related incidents, most of them involving arguments and scuffles between from different political parties.
In one incident, a Russian immigrant who was hanging Labor Party posters was shot twice in the leg last week by a gunman who police said drove a car rented by the Likud election campaign center.
Meanwhile, members of Israel’s Central Elections Committee were moving into full gear to prepare for the May 29 polling.
Some 3.9 million people are eligible to vote at the country’s 7,000 polling stations.
Israel Television will release its exit poll results at 10 p.m. local time, which is when the polls close.
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