Netanyahu Faces Knesset Vote

Voting began Tuesday in Israel.

The contest is not a standard left-right debate. It is a direct referendum on Benjamin Netanyahu. He first took office three decades ago. He has held the prime ministerial post for 19 of those 30 years. Polls indicate the two camps are running close.

Gadi Eisenkot leads the opposition bid. He is a former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff and the son of working-class Moroccan Jews. He entered politics only four years ago. His party, Yashar, translates to straight or direct. Eisenkot advocates for US-style term limits for prime ministers. He argues that power corrupts. He calls for a country without lies. Supporters value his plain style. Noa Sadeh, 56, told reporters she is tired of politicians who know how to talk. She wants a leader who will do the work.

The opposition bloc includes former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman. Both men are figures of the nationalist right. They worked closely with Netanyahu before falling out. On the far right, Yishai Fleisher of the Otzma Yehudit party argues that Netanyahu drifts left. He says the prime minister must be pulled to the right. Fleisher proposes more settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. He calls for a ministry to encourage the voluntary departure of Palestinians. He also supports the death penalty and more weapons for Jewish civilians.

Netanyahu shapes the terms of the fight. His posters offer a rhyming choice between Yamin, the right, and Falastin, Palestine. They place opposition leaders alongside heads of parties representing Palestinian citizens. These citizens make up about a fifth of the population. The closing weeks focus on whether anti-Netanyahu Jewish parties will rely on mainly Arab parties. Pro-Netanyahu media, particularly Channel 14, keep his opponents on the defensive. One exception occurred this week. Channel 14 host Yinon Magal called Eisenkot a Moroccan monkey. Eisenkot did not use the slur in response. Admirers saw restraint. Doubters saw a politician who does not grasp his opponent.

The close polling puzzles observers. The deadliest attack in Israel’s history occurred on Netanyahu’s watch. The 7 October 2023 massacres at the Nova festival and southern kibbutz took place under his leadership. His war in Gaza killed more than 70,000 Palestinians. Israel states a third were Hamas combatants. The war did not eradicate Hamas. Israel’s international standing has suffered. Iran’s nuclear threat was not destroyed as promised. Netanyahu faces the fallout from his attempt to curb the supreme court. He also deals with the Qatargate affair and an ongoing corruption trial. Oded Levi voted for Netanyahu in 2022 but attended the Eisenkot rally. Levi said whoever was prime minister then is responsible.

Netanyahu’s durability rests on a loyal base built over three decades. This base has not been shaken by reports that he received credible warnings of an attack and failed to act. His allies promote an account where army and intelligence chiefs kept him in the dark. This claim is unfounded. He is seen as a gifted coalition builder. Many expect him to outmaneuver rivals in post-vote talks.

Opposition hopes rest partly on energy abroad. Many liberal, secular expatriate Israelis are flying home to vote. Pollsters do not capture this group. It could matter if the result turns on a single one of the Knesset’s 120 seats. On Thursday, a state ceremony marked the 1995 assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. Netanyahu stayed away and sent a low-ranking minister. Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats and a former general, said he is optimistic. He hopes opposition leaders can agree on a regional strategic process for long-term security. He avoided the words peace process.

The word peace has been tainted for many Israelis, but it has not vanished. A video shared widely this week showed scores of young Israelis at a Negev music festival singing Shir LaShalom. This is the song Rabin sang before he was shot 31 years ago. For some Israelis, that and the full flights home suggest the age of Netanyahu may be nearing its end.