Israel is at a crossroads... and Netanyahu faces the voters

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a battle for survival in the political scene when he runs in the parliamentary elections that will be held today, Tuesday, at a time when voters are evaluating his leadership in the wake of the Hamas attacks in 2023, along with the wars in Gaza and with Iran, and the worsening international isolation of Israel.

But Netanyahu, who has been Israel's longest-serving leader for 19 years, remains a powerful opponent that is difficult to overcome. Nationalist politics has become more established, and the divided system in Israel may give him an advantage in forming the government.

Opinion polls show a close race between Netanyahu's Likud Party and its right-wing allies, and a rival coalition led by Gadi Eisenkot, the former chief of staff known for his toughness on security issues, who enjoys support from the right and center factions.

In his campaign, Netanyahu is focusing on his leadership during the war and his alliance with US President Donald Trump, who announced his support for the prime minister and joined Israel in the war against Iran. Netanyahu said on Sunday that Trump is ready to move again to eliminate the Iranian threat “permanently,” but on the condition that he remains in power.

Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of "relying on a campaign of intimidation, lies, and threats," and said he was confident that Trump would work "in full cooperation with whatever leader the people choose."

Netanyahu may once again rely on far-right leaders Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich to form the government. Some Western countries imposed sanctions on both, accusing them of inciting violence against the Palestinians, while the Jewish Power Party led by Ben Gvir showed progress in the opinion polls.

Neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot have a clear path to power. If neither of them is able to form a ruling coalition in the 120-seat Knesset, Netanyahu may lead a caretaker government until new elections are held next year.

Voting begins at seven in the morning (05:00 GMT) and ends at ten in the evening (20:00 GMT).

The elections come after one of the most turbulent periods in Israel since its founding in 1948, a period shaped by the shock caused by the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, the subsequent Israeli military attack on Gaza, and sharp internal divisions over the policies of Netanyahu’s right-wing government.

For many of Netanyahu's opponents, the election is about accountability for security failures on October 7, the deadliest day in Israel's history.

“The most important thing is to form a national investigation committee, because from there our recovery will begin,” said Mali Hajaj, an employee at the Ministry of Education and an Eisenkot supporter.

Lisa Turtur said she hopes Netanyahu will leave "and that they can form a new government and repair some of the damage that Bibi has done to Jews around the world, and to Israel and its image." Bibi is the nickname by which Netanyahu is known.

But Nof Gabbay, an 18-year-old supporter of the Likud Party, rejected the idea of ​​holding Netanyahu responsible for the events of October 7, and considered him "the right man for Israel."

"Netanyahu managed the war in the best way possible," she said.

Israel destroyed large parts of Gaza in its offensive launched after October 7, when Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and held 251 others captive. Health authorities in Gaza say that Israeli attacks have claimed the lives of 74,000 people.

Israel also directed strong strikes at the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group and exchanged strikes with Tehran before a 12-day air campaign against Iranian nuclear sites in 2025, and the US-Israeli war this year.

Eisenkot said the next Israeli government must prevent Iran from acquiring a military nuclear capability, either by force or through an "arrangement" such as a US-backed diplomatic solution.

Like almost all Jewish-led parties in Israel, Eisenkot opposes the two-state solution that has formed the basis of negotiations with the Palestinians for decades.

But he criticizes Jewish settler violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which has escalated since 2023 and harmed Israel's relations with Western countries. Eisenkot also opposes Ben Gvir and Smotrich, Netanyahu's partners in the far-right coalition.

In some strongholds of support for the Likud Party, disgruntled voters began knocking on doors to persuade voters not to vote for Netanyahu.

Some of them have distanced themselves from Netanyahu as he faces corruption charges in a long-running criminal trial. Netanyahu denies these accusations.

High turnout among voters from Israel's Arab minority may help tip the balance of complex coalition calculations in Eisenkot's favour.

Although Eisenkot ruled out an alliance with Arab parties due to the lack of common values, analysts see the possibility that these parties will support a minority government led by Eisenkot with the aim of ensuring Netanyahu's removal from office.