Prosor at ballot box
Photo: Hagit Kleiman
Israel's New York Consul-General Asaf Shariv casts ballot
Photo: Shahar Azran
Israelis vote in London, New York
High-ranking diplomats in both cities satisfied with turnout of overseas voters
Around 4,500 Israelis in London and New York began voting for the State's next Knesset Thursday, in order to allow their votes to be counted by February 10. The voters were employees of the State – diplomats, security personnel, and El Al employees.
Israel's ambassador to Britain, Ron Prosor, was satisfied with the turnout at the nation's capital. "I believe I voted for the right leadership," he told Ynet upon exiting the ballot box.
Gabriela Shalev votes (Photo: Rali Cohen)
New York hosts Israel's largest number of overseas voters, and this year marked the first in which Jewish Agency envoys to Metro West, New Jersey were also allowed to place their envelopes in the Big Apple's ballot box.
The representatives, aged 18-19, said they had had trouble deciding who to vote for. "We made up our minds mostly by using Ynet and the internet," said Maya Sabo from Raanana.
Also among the voters were Consul General Asaf Shariv and Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gabriela Shalev and her husband. "It's exciting to see the Israeli diplomats come here to vote," Shalev told Ynet. "Every vote counts."
Shariv praised the voters for carrying out their duties to the State. "Despite fears of a low voter turnout in Israel, we can see that in the consulate the turnout is high, which testifies to the will to effect the shaping of the ruling systems in Israel," he said.
Reli Cohen contributed to this report
