Israelis are voting for all 120 seats in the Knesset in the first general election since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks and the subsequent wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, with 7.3 million eligible voters and more than 67,000 citizens flown in from abroad to cast ballots [1][36]. Averaged polls put Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party at about 22 seats and Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud at around 20, with neither the opposition nor the governing bloc reaching the 61-seat majority required to form a government [5][11][20]. The Central Elections Committee says 38 party lists are competing, and official results are expected by November 4 [36]. Arab-led parties could prove decisive kingmakers, though both blocs have ruled out depending on them; the committee had voted to bar the Joint List and Ra'am before the Supreme Court reversed the ban [23].
Netanyahu has centered his campaign on security, campaigning under the slogan "No Surrender" and warning that electing the opposition would make Israel less safe [4][25]. US President Donald Trump endorsed Netanyahu before the vote, calling him "an outstanding warrior prime minister" and urging Israelis to vote for him so that "the work we started must be completed" [11][12][13]. Netanyahu told supporters that Trump is prepared to act again to remove the Iranian threat, but only if Netanyahu remains in power [6][17]. Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli said Israel has won a major victory against Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas, while warning that Iran's threat is not eliminated [13].
Eisenkot, the former IDF chief of staff, has framed the election as a contest over Israel's identity. "These elections are about many issues — they are about security, economy, education — but primarily, they are about the identity of the State of Israel, and what kind of Israel we want to see: a Jewish state, a democratic state, a liberal, tolerant, egalitarian state," he said [25]. His adviser, Lianne Pollack-David, said the first decision of an Eisenkot-led government would be to establish a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre, saying Netanyahu and his government are the only ones who "have not assumed any responsibility" [13]. Eisenkot has pledged to enforce the Supreme Court's ruling on ultra-Orthodox draft and to end Hamas rule in Gaza within 18 months [25].
The accountability demand has been a central theme on the campaign trail. Mali Hajaj, an Eisenkot supporter, said "the most important thing is the establishment of a national inquiry because that's where our healing will come from" [6]. The October Council, a group founded by families of October 7 victims and hostages, organized a Tel Aviv protest three days before the election demanding a state commission of inquiry [28][35]. Netanyahu has refused to establish an independent state commission, arguing that responsibility should also be examined within the security establishment [5][22]. International Crisis Group senior analyst Mairav Zonszein said secular and liberal opposition factions see this election as "the last chance to save Israeli democracy and restore the institutions that have eroded over Netanyahu's successive terms" [23]. Netanyahu also faces an ICC arrest warrant and an ongoing corruption trial [15][28].
A pre-election leak reported by Israel's Channel 12 said Netanyahu and IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir clashed over a directive that Zamir feared could trigger a confrontation with Iran before the vote, with Zamir demanding written legal authorization before any action [8][11][14][27]. Netanyahu denied any disagreement, saying some are trying to hide the fact that Zamir himself announced Iran is seeking to influence the elections [8]. Eisenkot said "we won't allow the IDF to be turned into a pawn in Netanyahu's survival campaign" and warned Netanyahu "don't you dare put your political interests above the security of the state" [11][14]. Opposition leaders Yair Lapid, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan accused Netanyahu of trying to escalate tension with Iran to postpone or influence the elections [8][14]. Lieberman said "Netanyahu is plainly betraying the country when he wants to drag us into a war" [14]. Netanyahu posted an AI-generated mushroom-cloud image and warned voters that choosing the opposition risks nuclear annihilation [11][21].
The ultra-Orthodox draft exemption dispute has become a coalition-defining issue. Shas and United Torah Judaism regard protection of yeshiva students' exemption from military conscription as a core condition of their support, and Likud plans to legislate exemptions after the election despite the Supreme Court's 2024 ruling that blanket exemptions lack legal basis [5][22][32][33]. The court ordered concrete steps to deny benefits to draft evaders [33]. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said the exemption law as currently drafted is unconstitutional and would be struck down [33]. Rabbi Dov Lando called the Supreme Court "wicked" over its draft ruling [33]. Yisrael Beiteinu called for every 18-year-old — Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Circassians — to serve without exemptions, quotas, or deals [32]. The Democrats party said service duty should apply equally to all citizens [32]. Ben-Gvir said his party proved Haredim can be integrated into meaningful service without harming their lifestyle [32].
Palestinian statehood was absent from the campaign, even as 159 countries recognize Palestine and the UK and others have sanctioned settler groups [20]. Both Netanyahu and Eisenkot reject a Palestinian state while insisting Israel must retain security control over the territory [5][20]. Eisenkot favors settlements that comply with Israeli law and has promised to curb settler violence [20]. Naftali Bennett rejected the creation of a Palestinian state outright: "Ich werde es nicht zulassen, dass ein Palästinensischer Staat entsteht. Ich gebe keine Gebiete zurück. Punkt." (I will not allow a Palestinian state to be created. I will not return any territory. Period.) [19]. Yair Golan supports a two-state solution, saying "Zwei Staaten für zwei Nationen, die friedlich nebeneinander leben" (Two states for two nations living peacefully side by side) [19]. Netanyahu's far-right partners Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir advocate occupying the entire West Bank and support "voluntary Palestinian emigration" [20].
Israel closed all West Bank land crossings on election day and barred Palestinian workers, following a military operation in Hebron that Israeli officials say displaced about 2,000 residents after two Israeli soldiers were killed [26][35]. Defense Minister Israel Katz said displaced residents "will not be allowed to return until we've finished dealing with all the Hamas issues in Hebron" [26]. Hebron Governor Khaled Dudeen said the army forced 450 families — more than 2,300 Palestinians by his count — to displace, searched over 500 homes, and cut the governorate with 128 closed gates and 120 checkpoints [35]. Egyptian researcher Mahmoud Dahy said the timing and scope of the closure raise questions about its effects on the Israeli political scene before the election [37]. A UN commission of inquiry accused Israel of crimes against humanity in the West Bank, including extermination and torture, and maintained its genocide accusation for Gaza, publishing the report just before the election [40]. Israel's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Daniel Meron, rejected the report as a disinformation campaign to demonize Israel [40].
Ben-Gvir called for killing dozens of Palestinians in Gaza every night, including people who are not an immediate threat, according to German outlet t-online [39]. In a seven-hour security cabinet clash over settler violence, Ben-Gvir called the phenomenon "marginal" and questioned why it was being discussed, while Smotrich accused the army of tendentiously "smearing an entire community" [34]. Netanyahu said Israel must condemn settler violence even if it is marginal [34]. Attorney General Baharav-Miara warned ministers that their statements create complexity in international legal discourse and provide tools to sue Israel at The Hague for war crimes [34].
Regional governments framed the vote as decisive for the area's direction. Jordan's King Abdullah II said "the Israeli government's expansionist appetite is now a regional threat" [31]. Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said Israel "is turning southern Lebanon, its people and their properties into a ballot box soaked in blood" [31]. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Egypt "will deal with any government that is coming" and blamed Netanyahu for obstructing the Trump ceasefire plan [31]. A Syrian diplomatic source said Damascus is watching whether the election produces "a government that is less inclined toward escalation and more willing to listen to Washington" [31]. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that new attacks would put "civilian lives and the wellbeing of all regional states and the global economy at great risk" [30].
In the United States, Democratic lawmakers are watching the election closely. Representative Pramila Jayapal said "the majority is not there" for funding Israel, "certainly if Netanyahu continues to lead the government" [29]. Representative Mark Pocan said "even the most ardent, so-called pro-Israel Democrats have been pretty unequivocal in their opposition to Netanyahu" [29]. Representative Josh Gottheimer argued the alliance "is far too important to America's national security and fight against terror to hinge on who is in charge" [29]. Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said "an ally that takes your money, to push you into wars you shouldn't be fighting, is not an ally" [30]. The Bank of Israel rebuked Netanyahu's suggestion that cryptocurrencies could help Israel evade sanctions, saying "cryptocurrencies cannot serve as a means to circumvent sanctions" and that Israel should preserve economic relations with primary trading partners [11][20][21].
Israeli Ambassador to Italy Jonathan Peled said he would be "very surprised by a landslide" for either bloc and expects coalition talks may not produce a government before January [42]. Analyst Amotz Asa-El predicted "only a slight majority either way" and no landslide [6]. Official results are expected by November 4 [36].