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How do Israel's elections work and who are the main contenders?
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- The Israeli election is the first since the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks and subsequent conflicts involving Gaza, Iran, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, with security being the dominant campaign issue.
- Benny Gantz, who lost his son in the Gaza war and resigned from Netanyahu’s war cabinet over conflict disagreements, is campaigning on holding leaders accountable for the security failures that led to the attacks.
- Netanyahu’s current government is Israel’s most right-wing ever, relying on far-right coalition partners who support annexing the West Bank and forced displacement of Palestinians, while Arab party blocs could become kingmakers but are largely shunned by Jewish parties.
- Key issues include conscription exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews and judicial reforms pursued by Netanyahu’s government, which critics say threaten judicial independence and democracy.
- Despite ongoing violence in Gaza and the West Bank, none of the leading Jewish parties support a two-state solution, and election results may take weeks or months to finalize due to complex coalition negotiations.
