Israel votes on Tuesday in a close contest between Benjamin Netanyahu and rival opposition blocs. The result will test demands for post-October 7 accountability and coalition arithmetic.Stock photo used for illustrationJerusalem,Oct 27, 2026 09:48 ISTIsrael will vote on Tuesday in its first election since the events of October 7, 2023, with the contest widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
Opinion polls indicate a close race between Netanyahu's Likud party and the opposition led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, with neither side assured of the parliamentary majority needed to form a government.Security, proposed changes to the judiciary, the secular-religious divide over sharing national responsibilities, ethnicity and the economy are among the main campaign issues. However, discussion of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict has largely been pushed out of the campaign.Netanyahu is seeking to remain in power after three years of war and growing demands for accountability over the October 7 attack.
Eisenkot, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces, has emerged as his main challenger, while former prime minister Naftali Bennett is leading a separate opposition alliance with Yair Lapid.Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, has resisted calls for an independent state commission to investigate the failures surrounding the October 7 attack. The assault killed about 1,200 people in Israel and led to 251 people being abducted to Gaza.
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have joined demonstrations over the government's handling of the war and demands for accountability. At a rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday, protesters called for a state commission to investigate the security failures.
Organisers said more than 100,000 people attended.Lev, a young student at Hebrew University, told PTI that Indians could understand the impact of October 7 through their experience of the November 26, 2008, Mumbai attacks. "About 166 people were killed in that dastardly attack and it shook India, a country of 1.4 billion, so much that its anniversary every year still sends tremors among Indians. Just put that in proportion and imagine what it can do to a country of about 10 million people that lost 1,200 lives in a span of 48 hours and 251 of its people were taken hostage," he said.Major military failures have historically reshaped Israeli politics.
After the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the ruling Labour-led Alignment and its allies lost power in 1977 for the first time in 29 years. The result paved the way for Likud's rise under Menachem Begin and greater political representation for Mizrahi Jews.Mizrahi generally refers to Jews of Middle Eastern and North African heritage, while Ashkenazi refers to Jews whose historical origins are in Central and Eastern Europe.
The distinction has been important in Israeli politics, particularly because of Likud's long-standing support among many Mizrahi voters, who have historically raised grievances over discrimination and unequal treatment.Some long-standing political loyalties appear to be under pressure in the election following the October 7 attack. Netanyahu's carefully built image as "Mr Security" has been damaged by the failures that preceded the Hamas assault, while accountability remains a central campaign issue.Likud has traditionally received considerable support from Mizrahi and traditional Jewish voters, even though several of its prominent leaders, including Netanyahu, have Ashkenazi backgrounds.
Eisenkot, whose family has Moroccan Jewish roots, has emerged as a significant challenger, bringing questions of ethnicity to the forefront of the campaign.Yinon Magal, a political commentator who supports Netanyahu, called Eisenkot a "monkey" during a televised discussion. The remark was widely criticised as a racist slur aimed at Eisenkot's Moroccan heritage.
Magal said he meant that Eisenkot was being controlled by others, while Netanyahu condemned the remark as inappropriate.The controversy has revived comparisons with the 1981 election campaign, when entertainer Dudu Topaz used the derogatory term "chah'chahim" for Mizrahi voters associated with Likud. That episode became part of a broader debate over ethnic discrimination and political representation in Israel.
The latest controversy has similarly raised questions about ethnicity and political identity, though its electoral impact remains uncertain.Eisenkot has also drawn sympathy over his personal losses during the war. His son and two nephews were killed while serving in the military during the conflict in Gaza.Another major issue is the divide between secular Israelis and the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, community over military service.
Most Jewish Israeli men must complete compulsory military service, but Haredi men studying in religious seminaries have historically received broad exemptions or deferments.The prolonged war has increased resentment among sections of the public over the unequal burden of military service. The military has faced personnel shortages and reservists have been repeatedly called up for extended periods.
At the same time, ultra-Orthodox parties have sought to retain exemptions for religious seminary students and funding for their institutions.The dispute has moved from a debate about social equality to an operational concern for the military. Israel's Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that blanket exemptions for Haredi men could not continue without a legal basis, and the issue has since strained Netanyahu's coalition.Haredi leaders argue that full-time religious study should be protected, while critics say the system unfairly burdens those who serve.
Opposition parties have used the issue to mobilise support, while Netanyahu has sought to retain the backing of his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners.The divide is also reflected in voting patterns. An Israel Democracy Institute analysis of the 2022 election found a clear link between religious identity and political preference.
It found that 74 per cent of secular Jewish voters supported opposition parties, while 97 per cent of Haredi voters backed parties in the coalition camp that later formed Netanyahu's government. The findings show the political importance of religious identity but do not establish how these groups will vote in the current election.Netanyahu's coalition has also been weakened by disagreements over the military draft and proposed judicial changes.
The government's plan sought to increase the influence of elected politicians over judicial appointments and limit some judicial oversight. It triggered mass protests in 2023 and remains a source of division, although the campaign has been dominated by leadership, security and military service.Netanyahu's calls for a unity government have faced resistance from centrist and centre-left leaders.
The collapse of the 2020 power-sharing agreement with Benny Gantz remains a source of mistrust. Under the agreement, Gantz was due to succeed Netanyahu as prime minister, but the government failed to pass a state budget, triggering early elections before the planned transfer of power.The economy is another source of pressure.
The prolonged conflict has imposed financial and personal costs on households, businesses and reservists. Public funding for ultra-Orthodox institutions has also become part of the wider dispute over how national responsibilities are shared.US President Donald Trump's endorsement of Netanyahu has added an international dimension to the campaign.
Trump publicly backed the Israeli prime minister ahead of the election and issued another endorsement on Sunday, urging Israelis to vote for him. The effect of the intervention on voting intentions remains unclear, particularly as Netanyahu faces domestic criticism over the October 7 security failures and the handling of the wars that followed.Arab citizens, who make up about 21 per cent of Israel's population, could play a significant role in determining the balance between the rival political blocs.
Pollsters expect Arab voter turnout to rise to about 63 per cent from roughly 53 per cent in 2022, according to PTI.The Arab-led Joint List and Ra'am, headed by Mansour Abbas, are contesting separately. The Joint List brings together Hadash, Ta'al and Balad, while Ra'am is an independent Islamist party.
Although they are not contesting as a single list, their leaders have sought to increase Arab voter participation and influence over government formation.Whether Arab parties could support an opposition-led government has become an important campaign question. Ra'am previously provided parliamentary support to the Bennett-Lapid government that took office in 2021, and Abbas has called for greater political participation to secure improvements for Arab communities.Netanyahu's supporters continue to credit him with experience and a strong approach to security.
His opponents argue that the October 7 failures and the government's subsequent decisions require political change. The result will depend not only on which party wins the most seats but also on whether either camp can assemble a coalition supported by at least 61 lawmakers.Crime and public safety are among the main concerns of Arab voters.
An Israel Democracy Institute survey conducted in late August and early September found that crime in Arab society was the most important consideration for Arab respondents when deciding which party to support.Arab political leaders have called for greater influence after the election, including through parliamentary cooperation. However, it remains unclear whether their support could help form a government because several non-Arab opposition leaders have been reluctant to join a coalition with Arab parties.
Some have left open the possibility of accepting parliamentary support without giving the parties formal coalition membership.The two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been largely absent from the campaigns of the main Jewish parties. While Arab parties continue to raise Palestinian statehood and the occupation as political concerns, the leading contenders have focused on security, governance and Netanyahu's leadership rather than offering a route towards a Palestinian state.Public opinion has also become more pessimistic about a two-state solution.
A Pew Research Center survey published in September found that 56 per cent of Israelis did not believe Israel and an independent Palestinian state could coexist peacefully, while 17 per cent believed they could. The findings show deep scepticism about a political settlement, though the issue has not disappeared entirely from Israeli public debate.The election is therefore centred on leadership, security, military service, the economy and the character of the state.
Its outcome will ultimately depend on whether Netanyahu or his opponents can secure the support of at least 61 lawmakers and form a governing coalition.With PTI Inputs- Ends