World

Flash Floods Block Roads, Leaving Arava Voters Unable to Reach Polling Stations

By Ilana Curiel

Polling stations in small communities in the Arava region of southern Israel will close at 8 p.m. Tuesday, but stormy weather and flash floods have stranded residents on roads, preventing them from reaching their polling stations. In the Tamar Regional Council area, especially Neot HaKikar south of the Dead Sea, voters are stuck in their vehicles because of police roadblocks. Those who have not yet voted fear they will not return home before the polling stations close.

Police closed Route 90 and roads connecting Eilat with Dimona and Ein Gedi in both directions due to the severe weather. Yoni Stern, a resident of Neot HaKikar, said, "Many Arava residents, myself included, are stuck on the road and cannot exercise our right to vote. We're getting no response from the Central Elections Committee, and no response from the police. I'm stuck at Arava Junction and need to get to my polling station. They need to extend voting hours or reopen the road," he demanded.

Likud appealed to Central Elections Committee chairman and Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Sohlberg, requesting an extension of voting hours. The request was subsequently supported by Itamar Ben‑Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party, Aryeh Deri's Shas and Ofer Winter's Amcha Yisrael. Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar! party opposed the request, joined by Naftali Bennett's Yachad and Yair Golan's Democrats. The Central Elections Committee said it would discuss the request.

Heavy rain across southern Israel on Tuesday caused flash floods in streams from the Eilat area through the Negev to the northern Arava and Dead Sea region. All roads leading into and out of Eilat have been closed to traffic, although residents may still leave the city to reach Ramon Airport. Police urged drivers to avoid closed roads, remain patient and follow instructions from officers on the scene.

Rain also fell in central Israel and the lowlands. Several highways in southern Israel were closed to traffic: Route 90 was blocked from Lido Junction to Eilat, with additional closures in the Dead Sea area at the hotel roundabout, Masada Junction, Nahal Arugot and David Roundabout; Route 57 was closed in both directions between Adam Junction and Bekaot Junction; Route 25 was blocked between Tzafit Junction and Arava Junction, as well as from Oron Junction toward Route 206 at Ma'ale Akrabim; Route 40 was closed between Mitzpe Ramon and Tzihor Junction; Route 13 between Menuha Junction and Tzihor Junction; and Route 12 between Eilat and Neot Smadar.

At Mount Shagov near Eilat, 17 millimeters of rain were recorded in just three hours. Neot Smadar in the Arava also received an unusually large amount of rain for the area, 8.4 millimeters, roughly a quarter of its annual rainfall. In Ma'ale Adumim, 8 millimeters of rain fell from midday, while a similar amount was recorded Monday evening in Masada, south of the Sea of Galilee.