Israel heads to the polls today, Tuesday, in the country's first elections since the October 7, 2023 attack led by the Hamas movement, in an entitlement seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The following are the most prominent parties competing for seats in the Israeli Parliament (the Knesset), the number of which decreased to 36 after two parties withdrew from the race, according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.
"Likud" (the bloc)
A right-wing party led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Its current number of seats in the Knesset: 32 out of 120. It has held power almost without interruption since 2009, and combines nationalism and economic liberalism.
Netanyahu is, according to opinion polls, the most popular candidate within Likud. Netanyahu (77 years old) grew up in the United States and is known for his skill in political maneuvering and building government coalitions, but several opinion polls place the Likud Party slightly behind.
Netanyahu faces severe criticism for his inability to prevent the Hamas attack on October 7, which is considered the most violent in Israel's history.
Since then, he has led extensive military operations in the region, first in the Gaza Strip, then against Hezbollah, then Iran in cooperation with the United States.
"Yashar" (straight)
A centrist party led by former Chief of Army Staff Gadi Eisenkot, who served as a minister without portfolio in the Netanyahu government between October 2023 and June 2024. It is a new party that does not have any seats in the Knesset.
Eisenkot, known for his calm style and few words, has emerged as the main contender seeking to bring down Netanyahu. He founded the party in 2025, focusing on Israel's "Jewish and democratic" identity and uniting Israelis after the sharp divisions that the country witnessed during Netanyahu's era.
Eisenkot surrounded himself with former MPs from the left and right, in addition to figures such as former Shin Bet security chief Yoram Cohen and former Netanyahu chief of staff Yoav Horovitz.
Eisenkot has pledged to end the exemption from military service granted to religiously ultra-Orthodox Jews, a policy supported by Netanyahu that displeases many secular Israelis.
“Byahad” (together)
A center-right coalition led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (2021-2022), a businessman and son of American immigrants.
Bennett included opposition leader Yair Lapid in his party, who heads the centrist Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party, which currently holds 24 seats in the Knesset.
The two politicians previously cooperated in forming the government between 2021 and 2022, and decided to run in the elections together on one list after they agreed to oppose Netanyahu.
Bennett describes himself as a right-winger, and has previously been associated with the settlement movement in the West Bank, but in the current elections he presents himself as a centrist, secular politician, while his partner Lapid presents himself as a centrist and secularist.
"Democrats"
A left-wing party led by former Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan. He currently has four seats in the Knesset (under the banner of the Labor Party).
Golan brought together the Labor Party, which is historically the most prominent left-wing party in Israel, with the Meretz Party, which failed to cross the electoral threshold to enter the Knesset in 2022.
The Democrats are the only non-Arab party that supports the two-state solution to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"Shas"
A religious extremist party led by former Minister Aryeh Deri. Number of seats in the Knesset: 11. The party was founded in 1984 to represent Sephardic Jewish voters whose origins go back to the Middle East and North Africa.
The party asserts that it represents the poorest groups in society, and was Netanyahu's favorite ally in his coalition governments.
The party strongly opposes the conscription of religiously ultra-Orthodox Jews into the army.
“Otzma Yehudit” (Jewish Power)
A far-right party led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. Number of seats in the Knesset: six. Netanyahu included this far-right party in his government after it had previously been excluded due to its extreme positions.
Ben Gvir has repeatedly sparked international outrage because of his calls for violence. He recently called for the killing of between 30 and 40 Palestinians every night in the Gaza Strip.
The party places security issues at the top of its priorities, and calls for the annexation of the West Bank.
The party, led by Ben Gvir, pushed for the adoption of a law allowing the execution of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank convicted of bloody attacks classified as “terrorism” against Israel.
“Religious Zionism”
An extreme right-wing party led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. It has seven seats in the Knesset. The party is considered one of the far-right components of the Israeli government, and calls for the annexation of the entire occupied West Bank to Israel, and the strengthening of the Jewish religious character of the state.
Smotrich used his position as Finance Minister to give impetus to settlement expansion, and to withhold tax revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority.
“HaTorah Judaism” (Judaism of the Torah)
An extremist party led by Yaakov Asher. Number of seats in the Knesset: seven. The party represents religious Ashkenazi Jews whose origins go back to Europe, and also works to prevent the imposition of military service on students in Jewish religious institutions.
“Israel is our home”
It is led by former Defense, Foreign and Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Number of seats in the Knesset: six.
Lieberman, a former director of Netanyahu's office, founded the National Secular Party in 1999. It is considered one of the opposition parties and calls for the separation of religion from the state.
He adopts hard-line positions on the Palestinians, but adheres to secularism.
Joint List coalition
It is a left-wing nationalist alliance of three parties: the “Democratic Front for Peace and Equality” (Hadash), the “National Democratic Rally” (Balad), and the “Arab Movement for Change” led by Youssef Jabareen. Number of seats in the Knesset: five. The “list” focuses on defending the Arab minority in Israel and supporting the two-state solution.
“Unified Arab List” (Ra’em)
An Arab party with a religious orientation close to the Islamic Movement, led by Mansour Abbas. Number of seats in the Knesset: five.
Abbas calls for equal rights for the Arab minority within Israel.
Second on the list is former Deputy Head of the National Security Service Yoav Segalovich, who wants to combat crime in Arab society.
Mansour Abbas calls for ensuring equal rights for the Arab minority in Israel, which constitutes about 20 percent of the population.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a battle for his political survival during the parliamentary elections that began today (Tuesday), at a time when voters are evaluating his leadership in the wake of the attacks of October 7, 2023, along with the wars in Gaza and Iran, and the worsening international isolation of Israel.
But Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving leader at 19 years, is still a strong opponent that is difficult to overcome, as nationalist policies have become more entrenched, and the divided system in Israel may give him an advantage in forming the government, according to Reuters news agency.
Opinion polls show a close race between Netanyahu's Likud Party and its right-wing allies, and a rival coalition led by Gadi Eisenkot, the former chief of staff known for his toughness on security issues, who enjoys support from the right and center factions.
Voters began casting their votes after polling stations opened at seven in the morning local time (05:00 GMT). Polling stations close at 10 pm (20:00 GMT).
In his campaign, Netanyahu focused on his leadership during the war and his alliance with US President Donald Trump, who announced his support for the prime minister and joined Israel in waging war against Iran. Netanyahu said on Sunday that Trump is ready to move again to eliminate the Iranian threat “finally,” but on the condition that he remains in power.
Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of “relying on a campaign of intimidation, lies, and threats,” and said he was confident that Trump would work “in full cooperation with whatever leader the people choose.”
Netanyahu may once again rely on far-right leaders Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich to form a government. Some Western countries imposed sanctions on both of them, accusing them of inciting violence against the Palestinians, while the “Jewish Power” party led by Ben Gvir showed progress in the opinion polls.
Neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot have a clear path to power. If neither of them is able to form a ruling coalition in the 120-seat Knesset, Netanyahu may lead a caretaker government until new elections are held next year.
The Israeli Central Elections Commission said that 7.3 million Israelis are entitled to vote, including about 330,000 who are voting for the first time.
7th of October account
The elections come after one of the most turbulent periods in Israel since its founding in 1948, due to the shock caused by the attacks of October 7, 2023, the subsequent Israeli military attack on Gaza, and sharp internal divisions over the policies of Netanyahu's right-wing government.
For many of Netanyahu's opponents, the election is about accountability for security failures on October 7, the day with the highest death toll in Israel's history.
“The most important thing is to form a national investigation committee, because from there our recovery will begin,” said Mali Hajaj, an employee in the Ministry of Education and a supporter of Eisenkot.
Lisa Turtur told Reuters news agency that she hopes Netanyahu will leave “and that they can form a new government and repair some of the damage that Bibi has done to Jews around the world, and to Israel and its image.” Bibi is the nickname by which Netanyahu is known.
But Nof Gabbay (18 years old), a supporter of the Likud Party, rejected the idea of holding Netanyahu responsible for the events of October 7, and considered him “the right man for the State of Israel.” She said: “Netanyahu managed the war in the best way possible.”
War record
Israel destroyed large parts of Gaza in its war after October 7, 2023, when militants led by Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage, according to Israeli statistics. Health authorities in Gaza say that Israeli attacks have claimed the lives of 74,000 people.
Israel also directed strong strikes at the Lebanese Hezbollah group allied with Iran, and exchanged strikes with Tehran before a 12-day air campaign against Iranian nuclear sites in 2025, and the US-Israeli war this year.
Eisenkot said that the next Israeli government must prevent Iran from possessing a military nuclear capability, either by force or through an “arrangement” such as a diplomatic solution supported by the United States.
Coalition accounts
Like almost all Jewish-led parties in Israel, Eisenkot opposes the two-state solution that has formed the basis of negotiations with the Palestinians for decades, but he criticizes Jewish settler violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which has escalated since 2023 and damaged Israel's relations with Western countries. Eisenkot also opposes Ben Gvir and Smotrich, Netanyahu's partners in the far-right coalition.
In some strongholds of support for the Likud Party, disgruntled voters began knocking on doors to persuade voters not to vote for Netanyahu. Some have turned away from supporting him at a time when he faces corruption charges in a long-running criminal trial. Netanyahu denies these accusations.
High turnout among voters from Israel's Arab minority may help tip the balance of complex coalition calculations in Eisenkot's favor.
Although Eisenkot ruled out an alliance with Arab parties, attributing this to the lack of common values, analysts see the possibility that these parties will support a minority government led by Eisenkot to ensure Netanyahu's removal from office.
Israeli political analyst Amotz Asael, from the Shalom Harutman Institute, told Reuters: “I expect that we will only have a small majority for either party.” “There will be no landslide victory.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is waging an intense battle today, Tuesday, to remain in power in the face of what is known as the “Camp for Change,” a bloc that includes parties extending from the center-right to the left, and has pledged to oust Netanyahu and his far-right allies.
An Arab party expressed its willingness to participate in the government coalition that might result from this camp's victory, while other parties have not yet decided their position on that.
During his election campaign, Netanyahu portrayed his opponents as subservient to Palestinian interests. Gadi Eisenkot is the most prominent figure in the anti-Netanyahu camp, according to what Agence France-Presse reported.
General Gadi Eisenkot
Gadi Eisenkot (66 years old), the son of Moroccan immigrants, is Netanyahu's main competitor. Opinion polls showed a great rapprochement between them in recent days.
Despite his lack of political experience, he gained widespread popular sympathy following the killing of his son Gal and two of his nephews during the Gaza battles.
Eisenkot belongs to the centrist movement, but he also has positions that are in line with the hard line of the current government. He pledged to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state and to end Hamas’ rule in Gaza within 18 months of his coming to power.
He also expressed his support for building Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, pledging at the same time to hold accountable settlers who attacked Palestinians and were not punished during the era of the Netanyahu government.
Eisenkot resigned from the war cabinet in 2024, and became one of the fiercest critics of Netanyahu's leadership. In 2025, he founded his own party, Yashar (Straight). If he wins, he will be the first prime minister of Middle Eastern or North African origin.
Naftali Bennett (right-wing alternative)
The center-right party of former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (54 years old), Biyahed (Ma'an), is third in the opinion polls.
Bennett, who previously invested in the technology sector and is the son of American immigrants, established himself as one of the prominent leaders in the ranks of the nationalist right and the settler movement, but he later presented himself as a secular centrist.
He entered the political arena within the religious nationalist movement, and took over the education and then defense portfolios.
Bennett caused a stir in 2021 by forming a diverse government coalition that included a diverse Israeli political spectrum, with unprecedented support from an Arab party.
That coalition ended 12 continuous years of Netanyahu's rule, but Bennett's government only lasted one year.
Israeli analysts believe that he is able to attract right-wing voters who were disappointed by Netanyahu, and who do not want to move towards the center or the left.
Despite his sharp criticism of the Prime Minister, Bennett expressed openness to including Netanyahu in an opposition-led coalition government.
- Yair Lapid
Yair Lapid (62 years old), a journalist turned politician, has been one of the most visible faces on the Israeli political scene for more than a decade.
The former famous TV presenter founded the centrist Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party in 2012.
Lapid held several ministerial positions, most notably the Ministry of Finance, and later the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He briefly took over as prime minister in 2022 as part of a rotating power-sharing agreement with Bennett.
He presents himself as a centrist and secularist, and enjoys a remarkable media presence gained from his television career. He is also constantly active on social media platforms, where he directs harsh criticism at Netanyahu.
However, few observers see Lapid as capable of winning on his own, given the difficulty of attracting voters outside his core base of urbanites and secularists.
Nationalist Avigdor Lieberman
Avigdor Lieberman was born in Soviet Moldova in 1958, moved to Israel in the late 1970s, and is a veteran of the political scene. He adopts strict nationalist positions on national security issues, with his firm adherence to secularism.
After establishing the nationalist “Israel Our Home” party, Lieberman initially relied on the Russian-speaking bloc before gradually expanding his base to include part of the Israeli right.
His name initially emerged as one of Netanyahu's closest associates, as he served as his office director. A number of observers credit Lieberman with playing a major role in Netanyahu's victory in the 1996 elections.
Today, he directs regular and sharp criticism at Netanyahu, accusing him of failure in the security file. Lieberman is one of the few who held three ministerial portfolios in Israel: Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Finance.
Yair Golan: The remaining liberal
After years that witnessed an increasing Israeli trend toward the right, Yair Golan’s “Democrats” party represents what remains of the traditional center left, including the remnants of the “Labor” Party that led Israel during the first three decades of its existence.
Golan is the only prominent Israeli leader who still publicly supports the two-state solution, and he adopts a liberal approach on social issues, as he calls for allowing same-sex marriage in Israel, and allowing public transportation to operate during the Sabbath, which is the holy weekly day of rest in Judaism.
Golan is a former army officer. He volunteered to return to service immediately after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and set off personally with his weapon and vehicle to rescue those affected by the attack.
Mansour Abbas
The head of the United Arab List (Ra'em) party, Mansour Abbas, seeks to mobilize Arab citizens of Israel, who constitute 20 percent of the population, to prevent Netanyahu's return to power.
In 2021, the “Unified Arab List” led by Abbas became the first Arab party to join an Israeli government in Bennett’s coalition.
If opposition leaders agree to ally with him to oust Netanyahu, Abbas may emerge in the upcoming elections as a kingmaker.
