Israelis Vote in Tight Race Between Netanyahu and Eisenkot

Israelis went to the polls on Tuesday in a general election that many regard as one of the most pivotal in the country's history. Polling published on Friday put Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu almost level with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the newly formed Yashar Party.

Neither side is projected to reach the 61 seats needed for a majority. Because Israel's proportional system always produces coalitions, weeks or months of bargaining may follow.

The campaign

Security dominated the campaign. The opposition has hammered Netanyahu over the failure that led to the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October, in which nearly 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, and has pushed for an independent commission of inquiry. Netanyahu has long resisted one, arguing it would be biased against him. He has presented himself as "Mr Security", pointing to what he calls strategic victories in Israel's wars and his close ties to US President Donald Trump.

In the final days, Israel's Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu had pushed for last-minute military action that could provoke a confrontation with Iran, and was opposed by his military chief Eyal Zamir. CNN reported that he also tried to persuade Trump to approve new strikes on Iran, and that Trump refused. Netanyahu denied both reports. He also posted an AI-generated image of a nuclear bomb hitting Tel Aviv, which Eisenkot called "hysterical".

Conscription is another major issue. Netanyahu's government has not enforced a Supreme Court ruling that ultra-Orthodox men in full-time religious study should be drafted.

The blocs

Eisenkot heads the "change bloc", a group of parties with ideological differences and a shared aim of ousting Netanyahu. Others in it include former prime minister Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman and Yair Golan. Netanyahu's route back depends on another alliance with the far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties of his current coalition, the most right-wing in Israel's history. Netanyahu is on trial on corruption charges, which he denies.

Two Arab party blocs are also running. About a fifth of Israelis are Arab, and the blocs could in theory become kingmakers, but all but one of the leading Jewish parties have ruled out working with them. Lieberman has ruled out joining any arrangement that relies on them.

What comes next

Broadcasters will publish exit polls at 22:00 local time (20:00 GMT). Votes from hundreds of thousands of soldiers and reservists will not begin to be counted until Wednesday, which may help right-wing parties thought to be strong with that group. About 70,000 people are reported to have flown home to vote, and half a million are voting for the first time.

Another party leader could take power if one withheld support for a coalition without being given the top job. If no bloc can form a government, new elections would be called, with Netanyahu staying on as interim prime minister. Israel held five elections between 2019 and 2022 as parties repeatedly failed to cooperate.

Source: BBC News