Israel votes on Netanyahu’s future

Voter turnout is at a five-decade high in Israel’s closely-contested parliamentary election, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a referendum on his handling of political scandals, corruption allegations, and wars with Hamas and Iran.

Gadi Eisenkott, a former military chief who heads the centrist Yashar party, has emerged as Netanyahu’s strongest challenger. Eisenkott is unlikely to soften Israel’s military or foreign policies. Instead, he has portrayed himself as a patriotic centrist, free of the self-interest that characterized Netanyahu prior to Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Before the attack, Netanyahu faced corruption probes and was sinking in the polls as protesters took to the streets to oppose his controversial judicial reforms. Although the attack and subsequent war on Gaza bought Netanyahu some political breathing space, his opponents are now questioning how the prime minister could have left Israel undefended on October 7, and whether he ignored forewarnings about the attack.