Israel votes in pivotal election amid security, judicial and settlement debates

Israel’s election, the first since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and subsequent regional conflicts, pits incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu against former defense chief Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the newly formed Yashar Party. Eisenkot, whose son died early in the Gaza war, campaigns on accountability for the security lapses that enabled the attacks. Additional right-wing rivals Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman, as well as left-leaning former general Yair Golan, may cooperate with Eisenkot to unseat Netanyahu, whose Likud-led coalition is the most right-wing in the nation’s history.

Key issues include security, the controversial exemption of ultra-Orthodox men from military service, sweeping judicial reforms, and rising living costs. Israel’s 120-seat Knesset uses proportional representation, so no bloc is projected to secure an outright majority, likely leading to protracted coalition negotiations or a minority government. The election outcome will shape policies affecting Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, settlement expansion, and the broader regional security landscape.