Israelis are heading to the polls for what many view as one of the most pivotal elections in the country’s history.
Polling published on Friday suggests incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu is in a near neck-and-neck race with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot to become prime minister.
But neither of their political blocs are projected to win the 61 seats needed to form a majority government – meaning weeks or months of political wrangling may lie ahead.
The campaign has been shaped by the issue of security – with the opposition bloc hammering Netanyahu for the unprecedented security failure that led to the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on Israel, in which nearly 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken back to Gaza as hostages.
They have pushed for an independent commission of inquiry into the attacks – something Netanyahu has long resisted, insisting it would be biased against him.
Despite the opposition’s attack lines, Netanyahu has once again framed himself as “Mr Security” – pointing to what he says are strategic victories in Israel’s wars across the Middle East and his close relationship with US President Donald Trump.
Israel’s proportional representation system means governments have always been coalitions – and the race to power can, and has, produced unexpected alliances. But this election looks especially tight – and lines in the sand have already been drawn.
Eisenkot, who leads the newly formed Yashar Party, is the main figure in the so-called “change bloc”, a collection of parties who have ideological differences but share the goal of ousting Netanyahu.
Other leaders in the bloc include former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman – both right-wingers who take hardline positions on security – and Yair Golan, a left-leaning former general.
For Netanyahu, a titan of Israeli politics who first served as prime minister in 1996, a return to power will hinge on another alliance with the far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties that make up his current governing coalition – the most right-wing in Israel’s history.
There are two Arab party blocs in the running too, as about one-fifth of Israel’s population is Arab – many of whom describe themselves as Palestinian citizens of Israel. In theory, they could prove kingmakers. But all but one of the leading Jewish parties have ruled out working with them.
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