Jerusalem: Israelis vote on Tuesday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces strong opposition challenges from Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett in a closely contested parliamentary election that will test public trust over security, governance, and the consequences of the Gaza war.
Israel will hold parliamentary elections with Netanyahu seeking to remain in power amid intense debate over his government's handling of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, the subsequent military campaigns, and broader domestic and foreign policies. The election is widely viewed as a critical referendum on his leadership, though opinion polls indicate that neither major political bloc is assured of the majority required to form a government.
The country utilizes a nationwide proportional representation system where the entire nation acts as a single constituency to elect the 120 members of the Knesset. Voters select closed party lists rather than individual candidates, and parties must cross a 3.25 percent electoral threshold to enter parliament, frequently prompting pre-election alliances and mergers.
While the Knesset serves a four-year term, early elections can occur under specific conditions. Winning the most seats does not automatically translate to forming a government; instead, the president consults political factions after the vote and appoints a lawmaker who can secure the backing of at least 61 members to build a governing coalition.
Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing Likud party, has served as prime minister for nearly 19 years across three separate periods since 1996. He is working to retain authority following a tumultuous period defined by the 2023 attack, which claimed about 1,200 lives in Israel and sparked a devastating war in Gaza that later widened into a regional conflict involving Iran and other armed groups.
Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza involved extensive air strikes, ground operations, and sweeping restrictions that severely impacted civilian life. Figures from Gaza's health ministry indicate that more than 74,000 Palestinians have been reported killed and over 175,000 injured since the outbreak of the war.
Security and accountability regarding the October 7 security failures remain central campaign topics. Furthermore, Netanyahu faces ongoing corruption charges involving fraud, breach of trust, and bribery, all of which he denies, alongside an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Eisenkot, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces heading the centrist Yashar party, has emerged as a prominent rival. Having previously served as an observer in Netanyahu's war cabinet before resigning over a perceived lack of clear strategy, Eisenkot positions himself as a governance alternative while maintaining a firm stance on security.
Meanwhile, Bennett leads the B'Yachad electoral alliance, which incorporates former prime minister Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party. Bennett, a right-wing politician opposed to Palestinian independence and supportive of West Bank settlements, briefly served as prime minister in 2021 and has heavily criticized Netanyahu's administration.
Additional political forces include Yair Golan's left-leaning Democrats, Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beiteinu, and Arab-led factions such as Ra'am and the Joint List. Netanyahu's current coalition relies heavily on far-right figures Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, as well as ultra-Orthodox parties.
The election campaign is deeply influenced by the future trajectory of the Gaza war, ties with the United States, Iranian threats, and Israel's standing on the global stage. While candidates diverge sharply over Netanyahu's personal leadership, most share relatively similar hardline security stances and oppose the creation of a Palestinian state in the near term, leaving Tuesday's outcome pivotal for the nation's political landscape.