Polls Open in Israel as Netanyahu Faces Close Contest After Three Years of War
Some 7.3 million Israelis are eligible to vote as they weigh Netanyahu’s handling of security and the October 7 attack.
- Some 7.3 million voters headed to the polls on Tuesday for Israel's first legislative election since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack. The vote serves as a verdict on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has led the country for more than 19 years.
- Israelis are casting their ballots in the shadow of three years of multi-front regional wars triggered by October 7, with security questions central to the campaign. Netanyahu focused heavily on his security credentials and relationship with President Donald Trump, insisting he is the only one who can keep Israelis safe.
- Seeking to unseat the premier is an informal bloc of parties led by Eisenkot, spanning from the right to the centre-left. Neither Eisenkot nor Netanyahu has committed to partnering with Arab lists, which represent 21 percent of Israel's population and could become kingmakers if results prove close.
- Final results could take days to trickle in, as it is highly unlikely any single party will win the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-member Knesset. Cobbling together a coalition could take weeks or months, with possible new elections on the horizon if negotiations fail.
- Uriel Brandler, a 58-year-old real estate agent, told AFP the day before voting that this was "one of the most important election days in the history of the state of Israel." Zipporah Bennett, an 85-year-old retiree, said she was voting for Netanyahu, adding: "He's a man who's not afraid to take action.
35 Articles
35 Articles
Polls open in first Israeli election since October 7 attack
A deeply divided Israel headed to the polls on Tuesday for the first time since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, with voters delivering their verdict on veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country's rightward drift. Follow our live blog for all the latest updates.
The Israelis began voting for the first parliamentary elections since the 7 October attack, in the style of a referendum for the Prime Minister.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu entered the election day after Hamas's attacks, when the polls predict his coalition's loss of majority in the Knesset without an obvious alternative to forming a government. On Tuesday, the Israelis began voting in the first parliamentary elections after Hamas's attacks on 7 October 2023, the destruction of Gaza and the start of a joint war with the US against Iran; the polls predict the loss of the maj…
The Israelis began to vote for the first legislative elections after the attack on 7 October, an electoral round convened for the formation of the 26th Knesset but seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after 17 years of almost uninterrupted government. The seats opened at 7 local (the 6 in Italy): about [...] The Israel article, open seats: 7 million to vote to renew the Knesset, but it is a referendum on the fate of Netanyah…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 53% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
