Israel election live updates: Elections open as Netanyahu faces Eisenkot-led challenge
Israeli political parties have finalized their list of candidates ahead of the October 27 general election, which many Israelis and outside observers consider the most important vote in the country’s history.
The campaign so far has been dominated by a battle between Benjamin Netanyahu, the polarizing Israeli prime minister, and Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff who leads the largest opposition party. Polls show that neither bloc has yet won the support of a decisive majority of voters, and there is no guarantee that either of them will be the next prime minister.
The result is an unpredictable race, with profound implications for Israelis and the millions of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, as well as for the country’s regional conflicts, its international relations and the Jewish diaspora.
A dozen parties are expected to cross the electoral threshold to enter Israel’s 120-seat parliament, the Knesset. The real political wrangling begins after the elections, when party leaders will attempt to forge a government coalition of at least 61 MPs.
The main contenders
Likud (Consolidation)
Historically the largest conservative party; increasingly populist.
Chief: Benjamin Netanyahu77.
Many view this election as a referendum on Mr. Netanyahu, who as prime minister failed to deliver on his promise to achieve “total victory” in Israel’s wars and failed to accept responsibility for the security failures that preceded the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, the deadliest day in the country’s history.
He has also faced backlash over a highly unpopular exemption from military conscription for ultra-Orthodox Israeli Jews and a divisive push for judicial reforms, which would partly curtail the powers of the Supreme Court.
A right-wing party with strong support among the working class and traditional Jewish communities, Likud has governed Israel for more than 34 of the past 49 years, including 19 under Mr. Netanyahu.
Mr. Netanyahu, who faces corruption charges and an international arrest warrant in connection with the conduct of the war in Gaza, has pledged to “finish the job” in leading Israel’s various conflicts and to block the formation of a Palestinian state.
Yashar! (Honest or straight)
New party aimed at centrist and center-right voters worried about the direction the Netanyahu coalition is taking in Israel.
Chief: Gadi Eisenkot66.
A former military chief of staff, Mr. Eisenkot served in Mr. Netanyahu’s war cabinet during part of the Gaza war, in which one of Mr. Eisenkot’s sons and two nephews were killed. He formed his party a year ago and became Mr Netanyahu’s main challenger. His agenda preys on Mr Netanyahu’s vulnerabilities, including endorsing calls to investigate failures leading up to the October 7 attack.
Mr. Eisenkot rejected the prospect of a Palestinian state in the short term. He also expressed support for more moderate expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank while promising to curb settler violence.
Other major opposition parties
B’Yachad (Together)
A partnership between the centrist, secular and liberal Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party and Naftali Bennett, a right-wing nationalist.
Chief: Naftali Bennett54.
In 2021, Mr. Bennett and Yair Lapid, 62, the leader of Yesh Atid, joined forces to oust Mr. Netanyahu in a short-lived government. This year, they sought to again lead an anti-Netanyahu front, emphasizing unity amid Israel’s bitter divisions. They called for expanded conscription of the ultra-Orthodox and an investigation into the October 7 attack.
Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel our home)
A secular, right-wing Jewish party on security issues, but which broke with Mr. Netanyahu years ago.
Chief: Avigdor Liberman68.
Founded in 1999 as a political home for immigrants from the former Soviet Union, the party has since broadened its appeal by promising to defend Israel’s secular Jewish character against the growing influence of ultra-Orthodox rabbis.
The Democrats
Heir to two parties of the declining Israeli political left, which once dominated the country.
Chief: Yair Golan64.
Mr. Golan, an outspoken former two-star general, formed the Democrats in 2024 from the remnants of Israel’s famed Labor Party and the more left-wing Meretz party. It favors a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while seeking to forge Israel’s identity as a liberal, secular Jewish state.
Other major pro-Netanyahu parties
Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power)
A far-right, ultranationalist and anti-Arab party.
Chief: Itamar Ben-Gvir50.
Mr. Ben-Gvir, a right-wing provocateur, made his name as a lawyer defending Israeli settlers arrested for attacking Palestinians. His support appears to have grown amid a shift to the right among Israeli Jews since the October 7 attack. He called for the withdrawal of Palestinians from Gaza through “voluntary emigration”. Mr. Ben-Gvir has drawn international condemnation and sanctions for his anti-Arab rhetoric and his conduct as national security minister in Mr. Netanyahu’s government.
Religious Zionism
A far-right ultranationalist party focused on expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Chief: Bezalel Smotrich46.
As finance minister and minister in charge of West Bank administration, Mr. Smotrich orchestrated the steady progression of Israel’s de facto annexation of the territory by expanding settlements, building roads for Israelis and crippling the Palestinian Authority, which administers part of the West Bank. He has repeatedly said that Israel should occupy and permanently resettle the Gaza Strip with Jews.
Amcha Yisrael (People of Israel)
A right-wing party that supports Mr. Netanyahu but opposes a proposed exemption for the ultra-Orthodox.
Chief: Winter offer55.
Mr. Winter, a former brigadier general who formed the party in August, became known for his hawkish views on national security. He spoke of encouraging voluntary emigration of Palestinians from Gaza.
Shas
Traditional political home for ultra-Orthodox Jews whose families came to Israel from the Middle East and North Africa.
Chief: Aryeh Deri67.
Mr. Deri, a seasoned political operator, spent time in prison for corruption and fraud, then was convicted of tax fraud and banned from serving as a government minister. Shas supporters extend beyond ultra-Orthodox Jews to others who are less religious but whose roots also lie in the Middle East and North Africa.
Unified Torah Judaism
An alliance of two parties representing different streams of ultra-Orthodox Judaism with roots in Eastern Europe.
Chief: Yaakov Asher61.
UTJ’s policy centers on protecting the strict religious lifestyle of the ultra-Orthodox, or haredi, community. He has long been an ally of Mr. Netanyahu, whose governments have supported UTJ voters with subsidies. But the partnership became increasingly fragile.
Arab parties
Raam (Joined Arab List)
An Islamist party which increasingly advocates coexistence between Arabs and Jews.
Chief: Mansour Abbas52.
Mr. Abbas has taken a pragmatic approach to Arab participation in Israeli politics, and in 2021 he made history by joining an Israeli governing coalition. In August, he recruited a former Zionist police commander as Raam’s No. 2 candidate. If Jewish opposition parties abandon their resistance to joining a coalition with an Arab party, Mr. Abbas could play a crucial role in ousting Mr. Netanyahu.
The Common List
A three-party alliance representing Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Chief: Yousef Jabareen54.
The parties that make up the Joint List represent a range of ideologies, including a Jewish-Arab communist alliance and a Palestinian nationalist party. Their goal in uniting is to bring more Arab voters to the polls, thereby increasing their representation in Parliament.
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