The parliamentary elections in Israel are, according to many, a referendum on the performance of Benjamin Netanyahu, the longest-serving prime minister in the country's history. But who is the Israeli opposition, and what are its most prominent trends?
The main opposition force is the so-called Change Bloc, a diverse coalition that includes center-right and some left-wing parties, led by the newly founded Yashar movement and its leader, Gadi Eisenkot.
Eisenkot is a relative newcomer to the Israeli political scene. He is the son of immigrants from Morocco. He rose in the military establishment until he assumed the position of Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army between 2015 and 2019.
Eisenkot presents himself as the opposite of Netanyahu on the personal level, as he appears as a man close to the people and unassuming, in contrast to the prime minister who is concerned about his public image and tends toward control, according to observers.
Eisenkot focuses his campaign on accountability, political reform, and national unity, and he also directed sharp criticism of Netanyahu's leadership before and after the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023.
But his political positions are not very different from Netanyahu's positions on a number of issues. Despite his emphasis on equal rights for all Israeli citizens, he has not clearly decided his position on the two-state solution since the October 7 attacks.
Eisenkot supports Israeli military operations, but believes that the government lacks a clear strategy, and calls for an independent investigation into the failures that preceded the attacks. His military record, as well as the killing of his son in the Gaza war, also strengthened his standing with a segment of voters.
Despite the ideological differences between the parties of his bloc, they agree on a main goal of removing Netanyahu from power.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has often attacked Arab parties in Israel, said that three prominent officials of the United Arab List Party (Raam) were arrested in the south of the country, and they were in possession of envelopes full of money.
Netanyahu added, "We cannot leave this battle in the hands of the left and the Arab parties that want to put an end to the Jewish state." Netanyahu urged voters to go to the polls, saying: “No barbecues, no going to the beach, but go to the polling stations and vote for Likud.”
The United Arab List, which held five seats in the previous Israeli parliament, can play a pivotal role in forming the next government, if the right-wing and opposition seats converge.
For his part, Acting Director General of the Central Elections Commission Dean Livne said during a press conference on Tuesday that the incident was "unusual." He added, "The police arrested people who tried to bribe voters, even before they arrived at the polling stations."
According to Livneh, the three people, whose identities were not revealed, were not present inside the polling stations, but were arrested near their homes, adding that the case is still under investigation. He added, "This is a case limited to a specific area."
In a related context, with the start of voting, opposition parties, including Gadi Eisenkot's party, Netanyahu's main competitor, complained that their ballot papers had been mutilated and stolen inside the voting centers.
The Times of Israel quoted the Central Elections Commission as saying, “Contrary to allegations circulating online, there are currently no indications of systematic tampering with ballot papers.”
