Divided Israel Heads Into Election With Government and Opposition Neck and Neck
Israel votes on Tuesday in its first general election since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack. Polls show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition and the main opposition bloc almost level.
Israel holds a general election on Tuesday, the first since the Hamas-led attack of 7 October 2023, after three years of regional war that have left society deeply divided. Polls published on Friday put the governing coalition, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, the country's longest-serving prime minister, almost level with the main opposition bloc. The outcome could shape Israel's political course and security policy.
A new face for the opposition
The opposition campaign has been marked by Gadi Eisenkot, a former chief of staff of the Israeli military of Moroccan descent. He is relatively new to politics and known for a calm manner, and his son was killed in the Gaza war. His centrist Yashar party has repeatedly edged ahead of Netanyahu's Likud in recent polls. Eisenkot has promised a state commission of inquiry into the 7 October attacks, which a survey suggests is backed by more than 70% of Jewish Israelis, and to enforce court rulings on drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews into military service. The opposition argues that Netanyahu's government threatens democracy.
Netanyahu's campaign and the right
Netanyahu's slogan is "No Surrender". He stresses security and portrays his rivals as weak on it, pointing to a possible alliance with Arab parties. Around one-fifth of Israel's population is Arab. Likud support is projected to thin, with some voters moving to the opposition and others to far-right parties such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's Jewish Power and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism. One poll suggested more than 16% of first-time voters would choose far-right parties.
A possible deadlock
About half a million first-time voters are due to take part, and some 70,000 Israelis are reportedly flying in from abroad to vote. Neither bloc may be able to form a majority without Arab parties, yet all but one of the Jewish opposition parties have so far rejected working with them. That could create political instability just as Netanyahu warns of fresh threats from Iran.
