Tensions Are Running High During Israel’s Elections. A Top Opposition Politician Faced a Suspected Stabbing Attempt.

A top opposition politician faced a suspected stabbing attempt as tensions run high during Israel's election day.

A man carrying a large knife was subdued near Yair Golan, chair of The Democrats party, during a campaign appearance in Tel Aviv.

The party said that Golan's security guards identified a man approaching him in a suspicious manner and intercepted him. The knife then slipped from his clothing and fell to the ground, leading the security guards to subdue him and call police, who arrested the person.

Golan described the incident as an attempt to intimidate him. "Incitement and violence will not deter us," he said. "This is a direct result of the poison machine operated by Netanyahu and his Qatari agents," he added, urging Israelis to continue heading to the polls.

Elsewhere, Israel's main opposition party accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of laying the groundwork to allege fraud if he loses the election on Tuesday.

"Netanyahu is panicking and has begun making up stories and claiming that the election is being stolen. This is no accident. He is already laying the groundwork to challenge the election results," the party Yashar said.

The party went on to call voters to continue turning up at the polls to reduce chances of such claims having a hold. "Today's margin must be enormous, a lead that cannot be manipulated," the party added.

The statement comes after Netanyahu said senior members of Arab party Ra'am are "trying to steal the election from us." He claimed that senior party members were arrested with envelopes filled with money and are suspected of bribing voters. "It's criminal. They will reach every single person. You have been warned," Netanyahu said.

Voter turnout reached 44.9% at 2 p.m. local time, the highest figure recorded for that time in the country's history. "We have surpassed all the records kept by the Central Elections Committee. There hasn't been such a nationwide voter turnout since 1973," said Dean Livne, acting director general of the Central Elections Committee.

Netanyahu's Likud party is facing strong opposition from the party led by former Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, Yashar, and the coalition he could form.

Most polls are showing, however, that neither coalition has strong chances of achieving a majority of 61 seats in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, as neither has shown willingness to reach agreements with enough parties.

If neither side is able to form a coalition, Netanyahu will remain in power as the leader of a caretaker government until another election is held.