Israelis Vote in First Election Since 2023 Attacks

More than 31% of eligible voters cast their ballots by noon on Tuesday, marking the highest midday turnout since 1977 according to the Central Elections Committee. Over 7 million Israelis are eligible to vote in this first national election since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that sparked the war in Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voted just after midday and described the day as a fateful moment. He told journalists that Arab parties are receiving massive support and heading to the polls in record numbers. Netanyahu urged supporters to forgo beach outings and barbecues to vote. His main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, began the day by visiting communities attacked on October 7.

Eisenkot said that a responsible government would start the morning in those border communities. After voting, he called on Israelis to remove what he called the worst government Israel has known. He noted that the day was perhaps the most critical since the state was founded. Eisenkot's Yashar party filed an urgent complaint over nine incidents involving missing or damaged ballot slips, suggesting a systematic sabotage attempt.

The race is closely contested. Opinion polls indicate a tight contest between Netanyahu and Eisenkot. In Israel's fragmented parliamentary system, no single party has ever won an outright majority. It is possible that neither Netanyahu's religious and ultranationalist coalition nor the opposition bloc will secure enough seats for a majority. This could trigger weeks of negotiations to form a government.

Arab-led parties may serve as kingmakers if other parties agree to join forces with them. Mansour Abbas, head of the Islamist Ra'am party, said their vote would change the government. He hoped turnout in Arab communities would surpass 70%. Arabs in Israel make up about 20% of the population.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir warned that if Netanyahu and his allies do not win, the result will be a government led by Abbas. Ben-Gvir is known for comments suggesting some Palestinians in Gaza are not even people. Around 330,000 young Israelis eligible to vote for the first time face compulsory military service under the shadow of the ongoing war.

In Tel Aviv, families of victims and former hostages held a moment of silence. Yona Adam, whose daughter Mapal Adam was killed on October 7, asked voters to remember those whose voices are no more. In Kiryat Shmona, a Netanyahu stronghold near the Lebanese border, one man tore down a poster of Eisenkot.

Acting director-general of the elections committee Dean Livne stated that reports of irregularities at polling stations were much lower than in previous elections. The vote determines whether Israel will continue under a leader facing a corruption trial or shift toward a coalition that vows to conscript ultra-Orthodox men and bolster the independence of the judiciary.