Israel heads to polls for pivotal election defined by security and democracy
Summary
Israelis are voting in a closely contested election, with polls placing incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu near neck and neck with Gadi Eisenkot. Neither political bloc is projected to win the 61 seats needed for a majority, so forming a government may require extended coalition talks.Key Facts
- Eisenkot leads the newly formed Yashar Party and is the main figure in the bloc seeking to remove Netanyahu from power.
- Netanyahu is seeking to return to office through an alliance with far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties in his current coalition.
- The opposition has criticized Netanyahu over the security failure before the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October, which killed nearly 1,200 people and saw 251 people taken to Gaza as hostages.
- Opposition leaders have called for an independent inquiry into the attacks; Netanyahu has opposed that proposal, saying the inquiry would be biased against him.
- Netanyahu faces a corruption trial, whose charges he denies, and is pursuing proposed judicial reforms that previously prompted mass protests.
- About 70,000 Israelis reportedly returned from abroad to vote, and about half a million people are voting for the first time.
- Israel has two Arab party blocs; most leading Jewish parties have ruled out working with them.
- Israeli broadcasters are scheduled to publish exit polls at 22:00 local time on Tuesday, though the article notes that exit polls can vary from final results.
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