Ultra-Orthodox mayor wins vote in Israeli town torn by religion

Moshe Abutbul (2nd L), the ultra-Orthodox Jewish mayor of Beit Shemesh, speaks to residents in the town near Jerusalem March 3, 2014. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A bitter mayoral race in a town that has become a symbol of religious and political divisions in Israel ended on Wednesday with the victory of its ultra-Orthodox Jewish incumbent over his secular challenger.

Moshe Abutbul won the re-vote in Beit Shemesh, a town near Jerusalem that has become a focus of national attention in the Jewish state where secular-religious tensions often flare.