Israel president Reuven Rivlin casts his ballot in elections

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin urged Israelis to vote as he cast his ballot in the Israeli election on Tuesday.

It is the country's fourth parliamentary election in two years — a highly charged referendum on the divisive rule of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"It is only in your hands, citizens of Israel, to influence. There's no other way," he said as he cast his ballot in Jerusalem.

Candidates made their final push in recent days with a series of TV interviews and public appearances at shopping malls and outdoor marketplaces.

The campaign has increasingly reached into people's personal space with a constant barrage of get-out-and-vote texts that made cell phones ding and buzz at all hours.

At issue more than ideology is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Opinion polls forecast a tight race between those who support Israel's longest-serving premier and those who want "anyone but Bibi," as he is widely known.

He's portrayed himself as a global statesman uniquely qualified to lead the country through its many security and diplomatic challenges.

Opponents say Netanyahu is unfit to rule at a time when he is on trial for multiple corruption charges, a case he dismisses as a witch hunt.