Israeli Voters Weigh Security Failures and Conscription Disputes

Israelis cast ballots Tuesday to select a new parliament, with surveys showing a tight contest between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot. Netanyahu, 77, seeks to extend his tenure as the country's longest-serving leader, while Eisenkot, 66, leads the centrist Yashar party. Voters choose parties rather than candidates, and no single party has ever secured a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Coalition negotiations may take weeks or months to produce a new prime minister.

The Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas remain a dominant issue in the campaign. Militants killed 1,200 people and abducted 251 others on that date, which stands as the deadliest day in Israel's history. The Israel Democracy Institute reported that about 68% of Jewish Israelis consider their views on Oct. 7 a central factor in selecting a party. Netanyahu has declined to establish a commission of inquiry into the security breakdown and has maintained a hawkish stance regarding Iran.

Military service requirements have also divided voters. About one quarter of Jewish voters surveyed by the Israel Democracy Institute identified mandatory conscription as a key concern. Netanyahu's governing coalitions have depended on ultra-Orthodox parties that seek exemptions for young men studying religion. Eisenkot, who lost a son and two nephews in Gaza combat, has pledged to end those exemptions. The country continues to maintain a war footing amid ceasefires that remain fragile.

More than three dozen parties are competing, with roughly a dozen expected to enter parliament. Naftali Bennett, 54, a former prime minister, joined forces with centrist Yair Lapid. Itamar Ben-Gvir, 50, serves as national security minister and leads a far-right party in the current coalition. Yair Golan, 64, a retired general, heads the center-left Democrats, which supports a Palestinian state. Mansour Abbas of Ra'am focused his campaign on crime in Arab communities and named a Jewish politician as his deputy.

Israel's standing abroad features in the campaign. The United States and Israel launched a joint war with Iran on Feb. 28, and talks continue as officials in Iran worry about a return to full-scale conflict. President Donald Trump endorsed Netanyahu for reelection last week. An international arrest warrant exists for Netanyahu, and rights groups have accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, a charge the country denies.

Polls close late Tuesday, after which parties will begin negotiations to assemble a governing coalition.