JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s election is widely seen as a referendum on the country’s longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and polling suggests a tight race with his chief rival, former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot.
Israelis, however, vote not for individuals but for parties, which then form alliances to create a majority coalition. No single party has ever won a majority in parliament, known as the Knesset.
WATCH: Netanyahu faces Israeli voters in first election since Oct. 7 and Gaza war
After polls close late Tuesday, the jostling for power is likely to begin — between parties small and big — to achieve a governing coalition and name the next prime minister.
Although it could be weeks or even months before a new prime minister is named, here are some key points we know as Israelis go to the polls.
The enduring impact of the Oct. 7 attacks is reflected in the election
This election is held against the background of the enduring trauma of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack, when militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 others, and the ensuing wars in Gaza and beyond.
The deadliest day in Israel’s history featured prominently in the campaigns. Israelis have focused on the security failures surrounding Oct. 7 and the enormous burden on their society, rather than on the humanitarian situation in war-devastated Gaza.
READ MORE: Tens of thousands of Israelis living abroad are expected to fly in for pivotal vote
Around 68% of Jewish Israelis say their attitudes toward Oct. 7 are a central factor in deciding which party to support, according to the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank.
Netanyahu has resisted calls for a commission of inquiry on Oct. 7 and continues to strike a hawkish tone on all fronts, including Iran. His opposition focuses on his role in the security breakdown on Oct. 7 and his efforts to exempt ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service, a policy that has angered the broader public during a time of protracted wars.
Among Jewish Israelis, there is a religious divide over military service
As the country remains on a war footing amid tenuous ceasefires, about a quarter of Jewish voters polled by the Israel Democracy Institute ranked mandatory military service as a key factor in deciding which party to support.
READ MORE: Signs of fraying loyalty emerge in Netanyahu stronghold before Israeli election
Netanyahu’s governing coalitions have long relied on ultra-Orthodox parties that demand exemptions from military conscription for young men engaged in religious studies.
Netanyahu’s rival Eisenkot — who lost his son and two nephews to combat in Gaza — has vowed to end the de facto exemptions.
These are the main party leaders in contention
Over three dozen parties are competing in the election, and roughly one dozen are expected to win enough seats to enter parliament.
Netanyahu, 77, leads the nationalistic Likud, Israel’s largest party. His legacy is on the line.
Eisenkot, 66, spent four decades rising through the ranks of Israel’s military. He now leads the largest opposition party — the centrist Yashar — after entering politics in 2022.
Other leading candidates include Naftali Bennett, a 54-year-old former prime minister and onetime aide to Netanyahu who has formed a joint ticket with his centrist partner, Yair Lapid.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, 50, is Israel’s national security minister and leader of a far-right ultranationalist party in the current coalition.
Yair Golan, 64, is a former general who leads the Democrats, a center-left party that favors the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The plight of Palestinians grabbed global headlines, but little space in campaigns
Israelis are largely opposed to a Palestinian state.
Netanyahu has accused his opponents of planning to establish a Palestinian state with his slogan: “Right or Palestine.” But no major candidate has advocated a return to the long-moribund peace process, though his opponents have spoken out against violence by groups of settlers across the West Bank.
Even Mansour Abbas, a Palestinian Arab politician who leads Ra’am, the first Arab-led party to join a governing coalition in 2021, isn’t focusing on the larger Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Instead, his campaign has centered on concerns about crime in Arab communities. Abbas has also named a mainstream Jewish politician as his deputy in an attempt to position himself as a potential partner in the next coalition.
Following reports of a high early voting turnout, Netanyahu exhorted his supporters to drop any plans they had and “flock to the polls” after he cast his own ballot.
“We can’t leave this battle in the hands of the left and the Arab parties, who seek to bring an end to the Jewish state,” he said. “That is what is at stake: securing the Jewish state, ensuring our security, and safeguarding our future.”
Israel’s election will have international ramifications
The long-standing alliance between the United States and Israel has been tested by the unresolved war with Iran, which the two countries launched together Feb. 28. Regional talks are continuing as many in Iran are anxious about a possible return to all-out war.
President Donald Trump endorsed Netanyahu for reelection last week, giving a boost to the prime minister. The U.S. midterm election is in a week, and Israel – from its treatment of Palestinians to its wartime conduct in Gaza – is featuring prominently in U.S. campaigns.
READ MORE: Netanyahu denies allegations he’s escalating tensions with Iran before Israel’s election
Israel’s standing has plummeted in much of the world as a result of its war in Gaza. There’s an international arrest warrant against Netanyahu. Rights groups and U.N. officials have accused Israel of committing genocide, which the country vehemently denies.
The next government could face a difficult task in repairing Israel’s international image and relationships.
