Israelis vote in first election since the 2023 war

Polls opened in Israel on Tuesday for the first national vote since the October 2023 attacks.

The 2023 attack by Hamas sparked a war in Gaza and related regional conflicts. Israel is still navigating the aftermath of that violence. The country remains divided over its leadership and the role of religion in the state. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has led the government for three years of active war. He faces a challenge from former military chief Gadi Eisenkot and a coalition of parties seeking to remove him from power.

Opinion polls indicate a tight race. No single party in Israel has ever won an outright majority in the fragmented parliament. Leaders must build coalitions to govern. There is a possibility that neither side holds enough seats to form a government immediately. This could lead to weeks of negotiations before a new leader is declared. Arab-led parties are urging high turnout and could become key decision makers if they support one candidate and join a broader alliance.

Tensions with Iran hang over the voting process. Netanyahu issued warnings to Tehran in a video this week. He stood beside a missile defense battery and said Israel would face a devastating blow if attacked. In Kiryat Shmona, a border town and Netanyahu stronghold, voters arrived with high emotions. One man kicked and tore down a poster of Eisenkot before entering the polling place. In Tel Aviv, families of those killed or held hostage on October 7 observed a moment of silence. Yona Adam, whose daughter Mapal Adam was killed, urged voters to remember those whose voices are no more.

Approximately 330,000 young Israelis are eligible to vote for the first time. Many of them face compulsory military service while the war continues. Tens of thousands of voters living overseas traveled back to Israel to cast their ballots. The election determines whether the country will continue under Netanyahu’s religious and nationalist coalition or shift toward a government with liberal and secular partners.

Netanyahu’s supporters view him as a steady hand who has guided Israel through multiple wars. They believe he is protecting Jewish identity and checking an interventionist judiciary. His detractors argue he has prolonged the hostage crisis for political gain. They accuse him of weakening democratic institutions and allowing ultra-Orthodox men to avoid enlistment. Eisenkot’s backers see him as a security leader with personal ties to the conflict. His son and two nephews were killed in Gaza. Parties likely to support Eisenkot have promised to conscript ultra-Orthodox men and strengthen the independence of the courts.

Israel’s traditional allies have criticized its recent policies. Public support among Americans has dropped. European partners have imposed sanctions in recent months. The vote decides the direction of a country increasingly isolated over its conduct in Gaza and the West Bank.