Israelis Vote in Tense National Election as Polls Open

Israelis went to the polls on Tuesday in a tense national election widely viewed as a verdict on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership following the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, and the wars that have continued to reshape the Middle East.

Voters choose parties rather than individual coalition governments, with those parties later negotiating alliances to secure a parliamentary majority. No party has ever won the 61 seats needed for an outright majority in Israel’s 120-member Knesset.

Opinion polls point to a closely fought contest without a clear victor, raising the prospect of weeks or even months of coalition talks involving roughly a dozen parties expected to enter the Knesset.

The vote was marked by intense emotion. “This is critical. And it’s never been as critical,” said Noga Mizrahi, who cast her ballot in Jerusalem.

Mizrahi said she had travelled from Kibbutz Nirim, which came under attack on October 7.

In Kiryat Shmona, a Netanyahu stronghold near the Lebanese border, one man kicked and ripped down a campaign poster featuring the prime minister’s leading challenger, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot.

Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv, relatives of people killed in the Hamas-led 2023 attack joined families of former hostages for a moment of silence.

“Remember all those whose voices are no more,” said Yona Adam, whose daughter, Mapal Adam, was killed.

At a Jerusalem school converted into a polling station, some voters said they were seeking a change in government, while others maintained that Netanyahu was the only leader they trusted to protect Israel.

“He’s not responsible for October 7,” said Nisim Cohen, a reservist.

Cohen said he wanted Netanyahu to win and continue the wars in Gaza, Lebanon and with Iran until Israelis could live without fear and sleep peacefully.

Zipporah Bennett, an 85-year-old retiree, also said she was voting for Netanyahu “because he has had the experience of navigating the country through a lot of difficult seasons”. She praised his backing from the US, adding: “He’s a man who’s not afraid to take action.”

Alexandra, a 65-year-old Jerusalem voter, said: “I want change in our country. I want a good democratic centrist government.”

Around 7.3 million people were eligible to vote, including hundreds of thousands of young people casting ballots for the first time. Surveys indicate that these younger voters overwhelmingly identify as centre-right or right-wing.

Tens of thousands of Israelis were also estimated to have travelled from overseas to participate in an election viewed as decisive for the country’s future character.

“I think this is one of the most important election days in the history of the state of Israel,” Uriel Brandler, a 58-year-old real estate agent, said in Jerusalem the day before voting. He said he hoped the election would bring change.

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As polling stations opened in Ofakim, one of the southern communities attacked by Hamas-led militants on October 7, Eisenkot was out meeting voters. Netanyahu’s leading rival has lost a son and two nephews in combat in Gaza.

The visit was likely aimed at reminding voters of the security failures ahead of the deadliest militant attack on Israel in its history, and of Netanyahu’s refusal of a state commission of inquiry into them.

Meanwhiole, wearing his trademark noose-shaped lapel pin, hard-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir cast his ballot in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba, where his supporters had set up banners and speakers 

Thousands of volunteer Israeli election observers were in place at polling stations across the country to monitor the election.

Eyal Sher said he volunteered with a civil society group called Elections Guards because he wanted to play a role in such a critical vote.

‘We have a corrupt government that will do anything to stay in power,’ he said. ‘Every vote counts and we want to make sure the procedures are kept intact.’

According to Israel’s Central Election Committee, more than 7.3 million Israelis are eligible to vote, including around 330,000 young Israelis who spent their high school years in the shadow of war.

The polling stations – around 12,000 of them – will close in most places at 10 pm. Ballots are manually counted at each polling station immediately after voting ends.

Netanyahu has been Israel’s most dominant politician for nearly two decades, and a poor showing could end the 77-year-old’s lengthy career on a bitter note and open the door to a new era in Israeli politics.

A victory would cement his image as the ultimate political survivor. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump backed Netanyahu’s reelection, but the late endorsement still marked a setback for the Likud politician who had billed his tight ties to the Republican president as a selling point for staying in power.

 Netanyahu has been a master at forming coalitions with religious and nationalist partners. 

But opinion polls now suggest a tight race between his bloc and the one led by Eisenkot, which says Netanyahu should be held accountable for October 7 and the failure to turn battlefield victories into diplomatic achievements.

The deadliest day in Israel’s history has featured prominently in the campaign, but there has been almost no debate over Israel’s wartime conduct in Gaza, which led to an international arrest warrant against Netanyahu.

Israel’s occupation of much of southern Lebanon and parts of Syria, as well as its two wars launched against Iran, also has broad support among Israelis.

The candidates have instead focused on Netanyahu’s role in the security breakdown on October 7 as well as his efforts to exempt ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service and a 2023 judicial overhaul seen by critics as an assault on Israel’s democratic institutions.