Israel Votes in Deadlocked PM Race

Israelis cast ballots Tuesday in a tight contest where no party is projected to secure a governing majority.

Polling released Friday showed incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot nearly tied. Neither leader's bloc is expected to win the 61 seats required to form a government. This gap suggests weeks or months of negotiations lie ahead before a stable administration can be established.

The campaign centered on security and the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 attacks. Opposition parties criticized the government for the security failure that left nearly 1,200 people dead and 251 hostages in Gaza. They demanded an independent commission of inquiry, a move Netanyahu resisted as biased. Netanyahu countered by emphasizing his status as a security leader and his relationship with US President Donald Trump. He also highlighted recent military actions in the region.

Eisenkot leads the Yashar Party, a newly formed group that anchors the opposition change bloc. This coalition includes former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan. Despite their ideological differences, these leaders united to challenge Netanyahu. Netanyahu relies on his current alliance with far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties, the most right-wing coalition in Israeli history. Two Arab party blocs also compete, representing roughly one-fifth of the population. Most leading Jewish parties have ruled out formal alliances with these Arab groups.

Democracy and conscription were additional flashpoints. Netanyahu faces ongoing corruption trials and continues pushing judicial reforms that sparked mass protests last year. His government has also failed to enforce a Supreme Court ruling requiring full-time ultra-Orthodox students to serve in the military. Eisenkot, who supports ending Hamas rule in Gaza within 18 months, called Netanyahu hysterical after the premier posted an AI-generated image of a nuclear bomb hitting Tel Aviv. Eisenkot also pledged to crack down on extremist settlers in the West Bank.

Broadcasters will publish exit polls at 22:00 local time Tuesday. Netanyahu's Likud party will watch results in Jerusalem, while Eisenkot's Yashar party gathers in Tel Aviv. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and reservists are voting, but many of their ballots will not be counted until Wednesday. This delay may benefit right-wing parties that hold strong support among that demographic. Reports indicate Netanyahu attempted to launch military strikes on Iran before the vote, a move opposed by military chief Eyal Zamir and US President Trump. Netanyahu denied both reports.

If no bloc reaches a majority, Israel faces potential political deadlock. In that scenario, new elections would be called, and Netanyahu would remain interim prime minister. Israel held five elections between 2019 and 2022 while parties struggled to form stable coalitions. Approximately 70,000 Israelis flew home from abroad to vote, and hundreds of thousands cast ballots for the first time.