Israel’s elections are being covered by some 1,300 foreign journalists. Reporters from more than 40 countries, including some that do not have diplomatic ties with Israel, are covering Wednesday’s balloting, said Uri Dromi, head of the Government Press Office.
Dromi said reporters from Algeria and Indonesia were among those covering the vote, which is widely viewed as fateful for the future of the Middle East peace process.
Some 500 correspondents are permanently based in Israel.
On Tuesday, the Cabinet approved entry permits for about a dozen Palestinian journalists to cover the elections, a move initiated by left-wing Meretz minister Yossi Sarid.
Meanwhile, those interested in following the elections on-line can do so at an Internet site that will provide real-time coverage of the vote count.
The World Web site, which has Hebrew and English versions, features election information and statistics.
Within hours of its opening this week, hundreds of people visited the site, posting comments about the elections at the site’s bulletin board.
After the polls close at 10 p.m. Wednesday, site users will be able to follow Israel Television’s exit poll, download pictures and videos, and get the victory and concession speeches of the candidates.
The site is being offered by Malam Systems, an information processing firm, and Macom Networking, an Internet service provider.
The election page’s World Wide Web address is: http://elections 96-Malam- Macom.co.il/
There are several other Web sites expected to provide election coverage: http:/ /www.virtual.co.il http://www.elections.co.il/ http://www.village.co.il/emet
Israel’s Labor and Likud parties have established Web sites to provide information about their candidates for prime minister. http://peres.org.il http://www.likud.org.il
Meanwhile, the International Channel, a cable television station available throughout the United States, will air a discussion of the elections with Colette Avital, the Israeli consul in New York, and with a panel of Israeli journalists at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
At 8 p.m., the channel will air excerpts of a panel discussion about the elections that was held earlier in the day at the Israeli Counsulate in New York.
The International Channel is available in the New York area on Channel 65.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
