NewzJERUSALEM (AP) — Israelis are voting in a pivotal election Tuesday as their country is embroiled in unresolved wars, still reeling from Hamas' 2023 attack and deeply divided over the character of the state and the right person to lead it.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing off against an array of parties seeking to oust the longtime leader from power. Opinion polls have suggested a tight race with his main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. Over 7 million people are eligible to vote.In Israel's fragmented parliamentary politics, no single party has ever won an outright parliamentary majority, so political leaders must forge coalitions.There is a chance that neither Netanyahu's religious and ultranationalist coalition nor the group of parties looking to remove him has enough support to win a parliamentary majority.
That could set off weeks of negotiations before a leader is declared.Israel's Arab-led parties, who are pushing for heavy turnout, could emerge as kingmakers if they agree to support one candidate over the other — and if other parties agree to join forces with them.Emotions run high among some votersAlready, some emotions were high as polls opened. In Kiryat Shmona, a Netanyahu stronghold near the border with Lebanon, one man kicked and tore down a poster of Eisenkot.Hanging over the election are lingering tensions with Iran. Netanyahu ramped up threats against the country ahead of the vote.
He appeared in a video this week standing beside a missile-defense battery and warned Tehran it would face “a devastating blow” if it attacked Israel.The election is Israel's first national vote since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war in Gaza and related conflicts across the region. In Tel Aviv, families of some of those killed on Oct.
7 or former hostages held a moment of silence before polls opened. “Remember all those whose voices are no more,” said Yona Adam, whose daughter Mapal Adam was killed.Around 330,000 young Israelis, many facing compulsory military service under the shadow of war, are eligible to vote for the first time.The vote serves not only as a referendum on Netanyahu's lengthy leadership but also on what kind of country Israel should be — heavily influenced by religious and nationalist forces, or more firmly anchored in liberal and secular values. Tens of thousands of voters living overseas reportedly flew to Isr…
The vote serves not only as a referendum on Netanyahu's lengthy leadership but also on what kind of country Israel should be — heavily influenced by religious and nationalist forces, or more firmly anchored in liberal and secular values.At stake is the fate of a country whose policies and leadership are being scorned by traditional allies. Since Hamas' 2023 attack, Israel has found itself increasingly isolated over its conduct in Gaza and in the West Bank, where violence by Jewish settlers has intensified. Public support among Americans has plummeted and stalwart partners in Europe and elsewhere have slapped sanctions on Israel in recent months.For Israelis, the election presents a chance at charting the country's course after Netanyahu's turbulent four-year term.Netanyahu's supporters see him as a steady hand and a consummate statesman who they believe has triumphantly guided Israel through multi…
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israelis will vote in a pivotal election Tuesday as their country is embroiled in unresolved wars, still reeling from Hamas’ 2023 attack and deeply divided over the character of the state and the right person to lead it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces off against a coalition of parties seeking to oust the longtime leader from power. In Israel’s fragmented parliamentary politics, no single party has ever won an outright parliamentary majority, so political leaders must forge coalitions.
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