ISRAEL headed to the polls yesterday in a closely contested election that is being described as one of the most important in its history.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is seeking to extend his tenure after leading the country’s most right-wing governing coalition which brought together far-right ultranationalists and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties.
Wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes in Gaza, and faced with a long-running corruption trial, he is fighting for his political survival against a self-styled Zionist opposition bloc that has fundamentally embraced a right-wing approach to Israel’s challenges.
Questions over accountability for alleged security failures, disputes over ultra-Orthodox military service and efforts to exclude Arab-led parties dominated the campaign.
This has further dampened already low expectations that the vote would offer any meaningful improvement to the lives of Palestinians, as deadly attacks continue almost daily in Gaza despite a yearlong ‘ceasefire’, while settler pogroms and Israeli army raids have intensified in the occupied West Bank.
Israel under Netanyahu has pursued an aggressive military campaign across the Middle East — going to war with Iran, backing settler attacks and displacement in the West Bank, and carrying out strikes against militant groups in Lebanon and Yemen.
The election is widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu’s leadership and the Israelis’ willingness to change course.
Two main political blocs are contending to form Israel’s next government.
The first is the pro-Netanyahu coalition led by Netanyahu’s Likud party.
The coalition includes far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties, such as Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) led by national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Religious Zionism-Zehut led by finance minister Bezalel Smotrich.
On the other side are the Jewish-led opposition movements — with former Israel Defence Forces chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot and the centrist Yashar (Straight) party at the forefront. Eisenkot, who entered politics in 2022, joined Netanyahu’s emergency war cabinet after the October 7 attack on Israel.
But after having lost a son in combat in Israel’s wars, Eisenkot left his post in 2024.
The opposition also includes a joint ticket led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Knesset opposition leader Yair Lapid, the secular nationalist party Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) led by former finance minister Avigdor Lieberman, and the Democrats led by former IDF deputy chief of staff Yair Golan.
Some polls suggest that Eisenkot’s Yashar party may garner slightly more support than Netanyahu’s Likud, but they also project that neither the Prime Minister’s right-wing bloc nor the opposition may win the 61 Knesset seats needed to form a government.
Including Arab parties such as United Arab List (Ra’am) and the Joint List, or fringe parties, could be necessary to form a government.
Both pro-Netanyahu and anti-Netanyahu coalitions have so far ruled out teaming up with the Arab-led parties.
Arab citizens of Israel make up about 20% of the population, though they receive fewer government services and endure higher poverty and unemployment rates.
At stake for Netanyahu could be more than his continued leadership.
The premier faces an international arrest warrant for alleged crimes related to the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. And even domestically, critics have demanded an inquiry into Netanyahu’s decision-making around October 7.
The attack, which resulted in over 1,200 people in Israel being killed and around 250 hostages being taken, is considered by many to be indicative of a major security failure.
