Israel heads to a critical election as Benjamin Netanyahu faces off against Gadi Eisenkot amid regional conflicts, with both leaders campaigning heavily on national security and the existential threat posed by Iran.
Israel Gears Up for High-Stakes General Election
Jerusalem [Israel], October 26 (ANI): In less than 24 hours the state of Israel will go to the polls in what is one of the most bitterly contested elections. The polls come amidst fragile times in West Asia with Israel embroiled in the Iran conflict and facing heat on its southern border in its skirmish with Hezbollah. For incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu, the narrative is simple- a projection that only he can keep the Iranian threat at bay especially with his endorsement from US President Trump. Netanyahu's coalition comprises his own Likud Party, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's pro-settler Religious Zionism and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's far-right party Jewish Power. His closest rival is the former military chief Gadi Eisenkot who has projected himself as a security hawk with an image of a political outsider. The others include the alliance led by former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman and a four-party coalition with a significant representation of the Arab minority in Israel headed by Yair Golan.
Understanding the Israeli Electoral System
Israel uses a party-list proportional representation system. Under this system, voters cast their ballots for lists of candidates, and each list receives a number of seats in the Knesset proportional to its share of the vote. Israel has an electoral threshold: only lists that receive at least 3.25% of the valid votes participate in the allocation of Knesset seats. The Knesset is made up of 120 Members. After the elections the President of the State, in this case Israel Herzog, assigns the task of forming a government to a Member of the Knesset who may then present the government they have formed to the Knesset. For the government to be established it must win a plurality in a “vote of confidence” held in the Knesset. To date, all governments formed in Israel have been coalition governments.
Election Campaigns and Existential Rhetoric
According to Jerusalem Post, the four latest election surveys, which closed on October 23, show that Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party leads Netanyahu's Likud, but neither of the two major political blocs has enough seats to secure a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. On Sunday, Netanyahu used the endorsement he got from US President Trump to project a doomsday scenario if his coalition does not come to power. Netanyahu posted an AI-generated image on social media depicting a nuclear explosion in Tel Aviv, warning the public just two days before the election that voting for anyone other than him could expose Israelis to the danger of a “second Holocaust.” Quoting Right-wing activist Yuval Blumberg's statements, Netanyahu's post read, “The State of Israel is in real and tangible existential danger. If the Iranians acquire nuclear weapons, nothing will ever be the same again. Everything is so trivial compared to the existential threat of Iran and the Shiite axis." "We have another two years of Trump to finish the work in Iran, and there's no telling what will come after that—whether it's Kamala Harris or some other mediocre figure. This is the window of time we have left to complete the necessary work to ensure our physical existence for the coming years. All the required resources of the state must be invested in this mission... This won't happen with a prime minister who can't pick up the phone and have a continuous, intimate conversation with Trump," the post read.
International Endorsements and Internal Opposition
Earlier, Trump endorsed Netanyahu for the second time saying, " When you go to the Polls, please remember that Bibi has been an outstanding Warrior Prime Minister! Israel was called The Little Satan, with the United States being called The Big Satan, by some very evil people. There can no longer be the chant heard around the World of “Death to America, Death to Israel,” and there won’t be. Vote for Bibi Netanyahu for Prime Minister, we have to finish the job that we started," he posted on Truth Social.
Eisenkot in turn is using the events of October 7 2025 to project Netanyahu as being weak on Internal security. "The man during whose watch the greatest disaster in the state's history occurred refuses to understand that Israel's security is not a political bargaining chip, the lives of Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers are not forfeit, and the State of Israel is not his personal property...Israeli citizens will put an end to the rule of recklessness and restore responsibility, statesmanship, and Israel's security," he posted on X. The battle-lines are drawn firmly, consummate political survivor Bibi Netanyahu versus a former Military Chief in a no-holds barred contest. The victory of either could well reshape not just the politics of Israel but also the situation in West Asia. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)