Israelis flock to the polls on Tuesday, October 27, at a pace not seen in more than half a century to participate in the first legislative elections since October 7, a decisive vote for Benjamin Netanyahu and the future of their fractured country.
At 12 p.m. GMT, that is to say halfway through this election which ends at 8 p.m. GMT, the participation rate stood at 44.9%, the highest since records began in 1973 by the Electoral Commission.
“It’s now or never”
After voting, Benjamin Netanyahu accused his Israeli Arab opponents of trying to “steal the election” after the arrest of three men in possession of envelopes filled with cash. An “isolated case”, according to the electoral authorities.
For its part, the party of Benyamin Netanyahu's main rival accused the prime minister of “preparing the ground” for a challenge to the results in the event of defeat. “Netanyahu is panicking and preparing the ground to contest the results,” said Yashar, the centrist party of Gadi Eisenkot. “We must beat Likud by a considerable margin; Only then will there be no room to sow doubt,” he added.
“The country is going in a bad, very bad direction”
AFP journalists saw long queues outside polling stations across the country, a sign of the decisive nature of this election in the eyes of many Israelis. Tens of thousands of expatriates have notably returned to the country to vote, like Eilana Zisblit, 55, who has lived in Canada for almost 30 years. This is the first time she has returned to participate in an election. “The country is going in a bad, a very bad direction,” she said outside a polling station in the Jerusalem neighborhood where she grew up. “I have the feeling that it is now or never” that we must vote, “otherwise the country really risks not surviving.”
This sentiment is shared by many Israelis interviewed in recent weeks, illustrating the divisions running through the country of around ten million people. The elections come amid growing international criticism of the conduct of the war in Gaza, as well as violence and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, under the most right-wing government in Israel's history. The results will be scrutinized around the world, as Benjamin Netanyahu once again increases threats against Iran at the risk of aggravating a conflict whose repercussions are felt well beyond the Middle East.
“Worst government”
According to the latest polls, Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing and far-right coalition and the main opposition bloc led by a former army chief, the centrist Gadi Eisenkot, are neck and neck. But neither camp seems able to win the majority of the 61 seats in the Knesset, which augurs long negotiations at the end of the election. Major television networks will publish projections immediately after polling stations close, awaiting official results in the following days.
After voting in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv, Gadi Eisenkot called on Israelis to vote to oust “the worst government” in their history, while denouncing the “intimidation tactics” of Benjamin Netanyahu. The latter, clearly worried about the participation rate deemed insufficient in his traditional strongholds, has been trying since the opening of the polling stations to motivate his supporters. “No barbecue, don’t go to the beach: go vote for Likud,” he said.
Faced with the impasse predicted by the polls, one of the keys to this election will also be the Israeli Arab minority, which constitutes 20% of the population and says it is discriminated against like never before. “I want change,” said Asia Egbaria, a 23-year-old law student after voting in Oum al-Fahm, a predominantly Arab town in the north. “I no longer want to be treated like a second or third class citizen. I just want to live in peace and serenity.”
Weight of October 7
Benjamin Netanyahu, 77 years old including 19 at the head of the government, more than any of his predecessors, sought to convince that he was best placed to ensure Israel's security despite the failure of October 7, by highlighting the blows dealt to Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. He also promised, in the event of victory, to “finish the job” in Iran, while his far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich presented plans to expel Palestinians from Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
For the opponents of the outgoing coalition, this election is decisive for saving Israeli democracy, while Benjamin Netanyahu, on trial for corruption charges, has continued to attack the judiciary. Former chief of staff, Gadi Eisenkot ran a more discreet campaign than the current Prime Minister, banking on an image of sobriety and seriousness, and promising to “bring all Israelis together again”.
He notably promised to create a commission of inquiry to establish responsibilities for the failures leading to October 7. In a sign of the increasingly polarized climate in Israel, police announced Tuesday the arrest of a man armed with a knife who approached left-wing opponent Yaïr Golan in Tel Aviv.
