JERUSALEM: Israelis surged to the polls at the fastest rate in nearly half a century on Tuesday to pass judgment on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in what voters described as the most consequential election in the nation’s history.
Long lines formed outside polling stations for the first election since the October 7, 2023.
Policies of Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition have been divisive at home and have deepened Israel’s international isolation, while he has defended his record, calling himself the only leader with the mettle to face down Israel’s foes.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader with 19 years in office, is an unmatched political survivor, and his nationalist politics are increasingly entrenched. Israel’s fragmented system makes it difficult for an array of opponents to force out his coalition of right-wing, far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.
His main rival Gadi Eisenkot, a military ex-chief of staff and security hawk, aims to unseat him with the support of parties on the right and centre, as well as the rump of an increasingly marginalised left. Opinion polls show a close race, with neither leader facing an easy path to power.
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In a message to supporters more than five hours after polls opened, Netanyahu urged them to vote, saying turnout was high among his opponents on the left and among Israelis of Arab heritage, around a fifth of the country.
“We need it to be high too. You all need to stream to the polls,” he said. “This is a fateful moment.”
Voter sees election as most important she’s known
Voters began casting ballots after polling stations opened at 7 am (0500 GMT). The polls close at 10 pm (2000 GMT).
The Central Elections Committee reported that 31.5% of eligible voters had cast their ballots within the first five hours. It was the fastest turnout since a legendary 1977 election that came to be known as “the upheaval”, which brought the right to power for the first time in Israeli history.
“I think these elections are the most important of all the ones I’ve known,” said Ruth Epstein, an 81-year-old longtime left-wing voter in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv, who voted for the opposition Democrats.
“I’m really scared about what will be here.”
Netanyahu has campaigned on an endorsement from US President Donald Trump, his ally in war against Iran, who has said they should “finish the job”.
If neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot can form a governing coalition in the 120-seat parliament, Netanyahu could stay on as caretaker until another election is held.
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His opponents have managed to wrest him from the premiership only once since 2009, and that took four inconclusive elections in two years. He was back 18 months later.
Eisenkot sees ‘new spirit’
For many of Netanyahu’s opponents, the election turns on accountability for the security failures of October 7. Opposition groups have promised to hold a national inquiry, which Netanyahu’s government has resisted.
“I am convinced that by the end of today, we will see a change — a new spirit for the State of Israel — that will serve as a rectification for the past three years and for that terrible day,” Eisenkot said during a visit to kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, targeted in the October 7 attacks.
Eisenkot says Israel’s response — a war which health authorities say killed more than 74,000 Palestinians — was a failure because Hamas remains in charge. He repeated his commitment to dismantle or destroy Hamas’ military and governing power in Gaza within 18 months of forming a government.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of a far-right party in Netanyahu’s coalition, cast his vote in the Kiryat Arba settlement in the occupied West Bank early on Tuesday. He predicted Netanyahu would return as prime minister and his own party would serve as the right-wing anchor of the government.
Arab turnout could be key
Voters from Israel’s Arab minority, Israeli by citizenship but Palestinian by heritage, were voting in “unprecedented” numbers, Palestinian candidate Ahmed Tibi said.
Netanyahu had repeatedly warned supporters of the prospect of high turnout among Arab Israelis ahead of the vote, seeking to mobilise his base under the slogan “Right or Palestine”.
Eisenkot has ruled out partnering with Arab parties, citing a lack of shared values, although some possible scenarios envision them propping up a minority government to ensure Netanyahu is removed from office.
Eisenkot joined Netanyahu’s war cabinet after the October 7 attacks but quit after eight months, criticising his leadership.
Israel flattened much of Gaza in the offensive launched after October 7, and now occupies around two-thirds of the enclave under a year-old US-brokered ceasefire. Negotiations for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw have stalled.
Israel also dealt heavy blows to Hezbollah in Lebanon, where it now occupies a swathe of territory, and traded strikes with Iran, leading to a 12-day air campaign in 2025 and this year’s joint US-Israeli war.
Like nearly all Jewish party leaders in Israel, Eisenkot opposes the two-state solution that once underpinned decades of peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
But he has criticised Jewish settler violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which has surged since 2023 and strained Israel’s ties with Western states. And he opposes Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners.