Israelis Vote in Pivotal Election as Netanyahu Faces Tight Race Against Former Army Chief Gadi Eisenkot

Jerusalem: Israelis went to the polls on Tuesday in a closely contested election. The country is still dealing with unresolved wars and the aftermath of the Hamas attack of October 2023, and it is deeply divided over the character of the state and who should lead it.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving premier, faces a broad range of parties seeking to remove him from office. Opinion polls point to a tight contest between Netanyahu and his main challenger, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. More than 7 million people are eligible to vote, and tens of thousands of Israelis have reportedly traveled from abroad to take part.

Turnout was strong in the early hours. According to initial figures from the Central Elections Committee, nearly 17 percent of eligible voters had cast ballots within the first three hours, the highest figure at that stage since 1981.

At home, the campaign has focused mainly on security and on who is best placed to defend the country. Abroad, the vote is being watched for its bearing on Israel’s international standing and on the security of Jewish communities worldwide, amid growing criticism of the war in Gaza and of violence by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank.

Coalition Arithmetic and Possible Kingmakers

No single party has ever won an outright majority in Israel’s fragmented parliament. Neither Netanyahu’s coalition of religious and ultranationalist parties nor the bloc seeking to replace him may secure enough seats to govern. That outcome could lead to weeks of coalition negotiations before a prime minister emerges.

Israel’s Arab-led parties could hold the balance of power, provided other parties are willing to work with them. Mansour Abbas, leader of the Islamist Ra’am party, said after casting his vote, “Our vote will change the government.” He expressed hope that turnout in Arab communities would exceed 70 percent. Arab citizens make up about one-fifth of Israel’s population.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right figure known for taunting Palestinian detainees and for saying some Palestinians in Gaza are “not even people,” warned that if Netanyahu and his allies lose, the result would be what he called “Mansour Abbas’ government.”

First National Vote Since October 7

This is Israel’s first national election since the October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war in Gaza and related conflicts across the region. In Tel Aviv, families of people killed in the attack and former hostages held a moment of silence. Yona Adam, whose daughter Mapal Adam was killed on October 7, urged voters to remember those who can no longer speak for themselves.

About 330,000 young Israelis are eligible to vote for the first time, many of them facing compulsory military service as the country remains at war.

Feelings ran high in some areas. In Kiryat Shmona, a Netanyahu stronghold near the Lebanese border, a man was seen kicking and tearing down an Eisenkot campaign poster.

Eisenkot began election day by visiting communities near Gaza that were attacked on October 7. He said that anyone in government with a sense of responsibility would start the day there. Three hours after polls opened, Netanyahu had not yet appeared in public.

Complaints of Irregularities

Eisenkot’s Yashar party said it had filed an urgent complaint over nine incidents in which its ballot slips were missing, damaged, or turned over inside voting booths. The party suggested the incidents may reflect a systematic and deliberate attempt at sabotage.

Dean Livne, acting director-general of the Central Elections Committee, said that overall the number of reported irregularities and problems at polling stations was considerably lower than in previous elections.