Israelis are voting on Tuesday in the country’s first parliamentary election since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking another term amid deep political divisions and continuing regional conflicts involving the United States and Iran.
The election will determine the composition of the 120-member Knesset. A government requires the support of at least 61 lawmakers, but pre-election polls suggest that neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition has a clear path to a parliamentary majority.
KAN’s final pre-election poll, published on October 23, projected 52 seats for the opposition and 50 for Netanyahu’s bloc, with Arab-majority parties potentially holding the balance. Other polls produced different projections, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the outcome.
The main contenders include Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing Likud party; former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, who leads Yashar!; and former prime minister Naftali Bennett, whose centrist alliance is known as Beyachad, or Together. Former prime minister Yair Lapid, Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman and The Democrats leader Yair Golan are also prominent opposition figures.
Coalition negotiations are expected to play a decisive role in determining the next government. Disagreements over potential partnerships, particularly the role of Arab-majority parties, could complicate efforts to secure a stable parliamentary majority.
#BREAKING | Security tightened at the VIP polling booth at Ginonim School ahead of PM Netanyahu’s arrival. Area cordoned off as voting continues across Israel https://t.co/7M418NxZNi
— Siddhant Mishra (@siddhantvm) October 27, 2026
Security and October 7 inquiry dominate campaign
The campaign has focused on national security, the conflict with Iran, domestic political polarization and demands for an independent state commission of inquiry into the security and intelligence failures surrounding the October 7 attacks.
Netanyahu’s critics have called for an independent investigation into the failures that preceded the assault, while his government has resisted demands for a state commission with a mandate to examine the circumstances and establish responsibility.
Voters are also weighing the government’s handling of regional security threats and the broader consequences of the conflict with Iran. The election could shape Israel’s security policies, domestic political direction and relationship with Washington.
Trump’s endorsement
U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Israelis to re-elect Netanyahu, reiterating his support in a Truth Social post on October 25.
“Vote for Bibi Netanyahu for Prime Minister. We have to finish the job that we started!” Trump wrote, referring to their partnership in the military campaign against Iran.
Trump also made claims about Iran’s military losses, economic conditions and inflation. These assessments were presented as his assertions and have not been independently established here.
In an October 18 letter to the Israeli public, Trump praised Netanyahu as a “Great Warrior Prime Minister” and warned that the United States might have to assume responsibility for the military effort if Israelis elected another leader.
International scrutiny
The election has also drawn international attention to Israel’s actions in Gaza and lately in the occupied West Bank.
On Monday, UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned that the Israeli military operation in Hebron raised concerns of ethnic cleansing.
“Threats to empty and erase entire neighborhoods also raise serious concerns of ethnic cleansing,” he said.
The far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has ordered the demolition of a large number of Palestinian buildings in the vicinity of the shooting in Hebron, Israeli Channel 12 has reported.
🔴 LIVE updates: https://t.co/X45a7DnvOH https://t.co/wFjSD5QRaT
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 23, 2026
Israel rejected the criticism, with its Foreign Ministry describing the UN statement as “a propaganda document detached from reality” and defending Israel’s security operations.
The Israeli military said the operation targeted the area from which the attackers had operated, following an attack that killed two Israeli soldiers.
Muhammad Luqman is Associate Editor at Views News Now. He writes on wide-ranging issues including economy, South Asia, the Middle East, agriculture, economy and innovation. Luqman has worked some of the leading news organizations and won acclaim for his original and research-based works.
Iftikhar Ali is a veteran Pakistani journalist, former president of UN Correspondents Association, and a recipient of the Pride of Performance civil award
