Israel Arabs, Jews weigh voting across community lines
Shefa Amr (Israël) (AFP) - On the outskirts of the Israeli Arab town of Shefa Amr there are no posters advertising the meeting being held at an open-air restaurant deep in an orchard. Only inside the town do Hebrew- and Arabic-language campaign billboards provide any visible evidence of the looming showdown between supporters and opponents of veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tuesday's general election. On this summer evening in the northern Israeli town, candidates of the centrist Blue and White alliance led by former Israeli army chief Benny Gantz are seeking the votes of the Arab minority who make up nearly a fifth of Israel's population.