Israel votes Tuesday in tight race as Netanyahu faces Eisenkot challenge

Israelis head to the polls Tuesday in a parliamentary election that could end Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's lengthy tenure, as final surveys show former military chief Gadi Eisenkot's centrist party narrowly ahead without either political bloc securing a governing majority.

Electoral test amid war aftermath

The vote marks Israel's first general election since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks and the subsequent offensive on Gaza, as well as military confrontations with Lebanon and Iran. It is also the first Israeli election held on schedule since 1988, following decades of governments collapsing before completing four-year terms.

Around 7.3 million people are eligible to vote at 12,018 polling stations nationwide, with most locations opening at 7 am local time and closing at 10 pm. Thirty-seven parties are competing for seats in the 120-member Knesset, where a governing coalition requires at least 61 lawmakers under the proportional representation system.

Netanyahu battles for survival

Netanyahu, 77, is seeking another term after serving more than 18 years as prime minister across three periods, campaigning on national security credentials while facing criticism over his government's failure to prevent the Oct. 7 attacks. He is standing trial on corruption charges, which he denies, and faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

His potential coalition partners include far-right parties led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who have advocated expanding illegal settlements and rejected Palestinian statehood. The ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties have faced mounting criticism over demands to preserve military-service exemptions for religious students as the military struggles with personnel shortages after years of conflict.

Eisenkot's challenge

Eisenkot, 66, served as military chief from 2015 to 2019 and briefly joined Netanyahu's emergency government after Oct. 7 before leaving over management criticisms, noting the absence of a clear political strategy. His son was killed while serving in Gaza in December 2023.

He has campaigned on government accountability and ending broad military-service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men, supporting an official inquiry into the Oct. 7 failures. Final surveys project his Yashar party winning 22 to 23 seats, compared with 19 to 21 for Netanyahu's Likud, with the B'Yachad alliance led by former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid finishing third with 14 or 15 seats, according to Israeli broadcasters.

Despite positioning himself as an alternative, Eisenkot maintains similar positions to Netanyahu on major security issues — opposing a fully sovereign Palestinian state and insisting Hamas' military capabilities in Gaza must be dismantled.

Arab parties hold balance of power

The Joint List and Ra'am, representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, are projected to win a combined 14 to 16 seats, potentially playing a decisive role if neither major bloc reaches the 61-seat majority. Netanyahu's right-wing and religious bloc is forecast to win 50 seats, while the opposition bloc is projected to secure between 52 and 56.

An Eisenkot-led government could require support from the Palestinian-led parties, though former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has rejected joining such an arrangement. Netanyahu has repeatedly invoked the possibility of Arab parties influencing the government to mobilize right-wing voters, while exit polls are expected immediately after voting ends at 10 pm Tuesday, with official results scheduled for publication by Nov. 4.