7 million Israelis vote in tight race to oust Netanyahu after three years of war

Polls opened Tuesday in Israel as more than 7 million eligible voters prepared to decide whether to keep Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in power after three years of conflict. The election marks the first national vote since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, a day that triggered a war in Gaza and related fighting across the region.

Opinion polls indicate a tight race between Netanyahu and his main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. In Israel’s parliamentary system, no single party has ever secured an outright majority, meaning leaders must build coalitions to govern. Neither the religious and ultranationalist bloc backing Netanyahu nor the opposition group supporting Eisenkot may hold enough seats to rule alone. That dynamic could trigger weeks of negotiations before a new government is formed.

Arab-led parties are positioning themselves as potential kingmakers. These groups are urging high turnout among their communities and could determine the final outcome if they agree to support one candidate and secure backing from other parties. Emotions were visible even before voting began. In Kiryat Shmona, a town near the Lebanese border known as a stronghold for Netanyahu, one man tore down a poster of Eisenkot.

Netanyahu intensified threats against Iran in the days leading up to the vote. He appeared in a video standing next to a missile-defense battery and warned Tehran that it would face a devastating blow if it attacked Israel. In Tel Aviv, families of those killed on October 7 and former hostages observed a moment of silence before polls opened. Yona Adam, whose daughter Mapal Adam was killed in the attack, said, “Remember all those whose voices are no more.”

Approximately 330,000 young Israelis are voting for the first time. Many of these new voters face compulsory military service while living under the shadow of ongoing war. Tens of thousands of citizens living overseas flew home to cast their ballots. The vote serves as a referendum on Netanyahu’s leadership and on the fundamental character of the state, pitting religious and nationalist forces against liberal and secular values.

Israel’s traditional allies have grown critical of the country’s policies. Public support in the United States has dropped, while several European partners have imposed sanctions in recent months. These shifts follow intensified violence by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank and criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

Netanyahu’s supporters view him as a steady hand who has guided Israel through multiple wars. They argue he is protecting the country’s Jewish identity and checking an interventionist judiciary. His detractors describe him as a polarizing leader who extended the war and hostage crisis for political gain. They accuse him of weakening democratic institutions and allowing ultra-Orthodox religious Jews to avoid military enlistment.

Eisenkot is seen by his backers as a leader with strong security credentials who can act as a bulwark against illiberalism. His son and two nephews were killed in Gaza, a loss that his supporters say deepens his connection to the national pain. Parties likely to support Eisenkot have pledged to improve Israel’s international standing, conscript ultra-Orthodox men, and bolster the independence of the judiciary.