Israeli voters headed to the polls on Tuesday for what is being characterized as one of the most consequential elections in the nation’s history, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a formidable challenge to his nearly two-decade grip on power. After three years of multi-front conflict involving Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, betting markets and preliminary polling suggest a possible end to the era of the man widely known as “Bibi.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu, 77, cast his ballot alongside his wife, Sara, at the Gonenim school polling station in Jerusalem on Tuesday morning. Netanyahu is seeking to extend a leadership record that includes 19 accumulated years in office since 1996. However, this election finds him in a significantly weakened position. Recent polling of 4,000 Israeli voters indicates his Likud party could see its representation in the Knesset drop to just 19 seats, down from its current 32.
The primary beneficiary of this shift appears to be Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief leading the Yashar party. Eisenkot has projected an image as a political outsider and a security hawk, leaning on a humble background and the personal sacrifice of losing a son in the Gaza conflict. Polling suggests Eisenkot’s opposition bloc could secure 20 seats, potentially positioning him as the leading candidate to form a new government, though he would likely require the support of the Democrats party and the remnants of the center-left Labour Party to do so.
Despite their personal and political rivalry, both Netanyahu and Eisenkot—along with most Jewish-led parties—maintain similar stances on core security issues. Both leaders remain opposed to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and insist that Israel must maintain ultimate security control over all territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore, both have stated that Israeli troops cannot withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed. Eisenkot, however, has specifically criticized the current administration for failing to fully dismantle Hamas, vowing to replace the group’s administration within 18 months through either a U.S.-brokered plan or military force.
The election day was marred by reports of violence in Tel Aviv. Yair Golan, the leader of the Democrats party, was the target of an alleged stabbing attempt while campaigning at Railway Park. According to party officials, a man approached Golan in an “intimidating manner” before a large knife fell from the man’s clothing to the ground. Security personnel intervened and detained the suspect before handing him over to police. Golan, who was unharmed, attributed the incident to what he called the government’s “poison machine” of incitement and vowed that his campaign would not be deterred.
Netanyahu’s bid for another term is further complicated by long-standing domestic and international legal pressures. He remains embroiled in a corruption trial involving charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, which he has consistently dismissed as a “witch hunt.” Internationally, he faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for suspected crimes against humanity and war crimes, alongside mounting criticism regarding the rapid expansion of West Bank settlements.
In a related international development on Tuesday, Britain’s parliamentary standards watchdog announced that Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice breached the House of Commons code of conduct. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Daniel Greenberg, found that Tice, the MP for Boston and Skegness, failed to declare a 2025 trip to Israel paid for by Reform Friends of Israel during a parliamentary debate on Israeli influence. Tice accepted the findings and apologized for the oversight, which the commissioner noted could reasonably be thought to influence a member’s words in such a debate.
High-profile Israelis also participated in the democratic process, including actress Gal Gadot, who shared a photo of herself voting on social media.
Because of Israel’s fragmented proportional representation system, the results of Tuesday’s vote are unlikely to provide an immediate clear winner. To govern, a candidate must maintain the confidence of a majority of the 120-seat Knesset. With no single party expected to come close to the 61 seats required for a majority, the country likely faces weeks or months of intensive coalition negotiations. If Netanyahu’s far-right coalition fails to survive as current polling predicts, the task of building a viable government will fall to Eisenkot and his potential allies in the opposition.
