Israelis go to the polls in general election

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, center, the Jewish spiritual leader of Israel’s Shas party, blesses a man after casting his ballot at a polling station in Jerusalem during Tuesday’s election. The two front-runners in the race to rule Israel made last-minute appeals to voters as polls opened in a close general election whose outcome could determine the course of Mideast peace negotiations. (Kevin Frayer / Associated Press)

Sept. 16, 2014 11:35 AM PT

Israelis go to the polls in general election - supporters

Supporters of Tzipi Livni wait for the foreign minister and leader of the centrist Kadima party outside a polling station in Tel Aviv. Israel is voting in what is billed as a tight race between former premier Benjamin Netanyahu and Livni, with the far right expected to make major gains. (Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP / Getty Images)

Israelis go to the polls in general election - casts ballot

An Israeli man casts his ballot at a polling station in the Jewish settlement of Tekoa in the West Bank. (Dan Balilty / Associated Press)

Israelis go to the polls in general election - Ballots

Thirty-four parties were vying for seats in the Knesset, the Israeli governing body. Israelis were going to the polls to elect their 18th government since the Jewish state was founded in 1948. (David Silverman / Getty Images)