Netanyahu's Record Faces Voters in Close Israeli Parliamentary Contest

Israel's parliamentary election on Tuesday has narrowed into a contest over one leader, with polls showing near-equal support for those backing Benjamin Netanyahu and those seeking to replace him. Netanyahu first took the prime minister's office 30 years ago and has served in the role during 19 of the past 30 years.

Gadi Eisenkot leads the opposition bloc. He entered politics four years ago after serving as chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces. At a rally this week in Modi'in, attendees said his direct manner appealed to them. Noa Sadeh, 56, said she was tired of people "who know how to talk" and wanted someone "who will do the doing part." Eisenkot's Yashar party proposes term limits for prime ministers, a proposal he links to the fact that "power corrupts." He calls for "a country without lies."

The opposition grouping also includes former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman. Both come from the nationalist right and once worked with Netanyahu before breaking with him. On the other side, Yishai Fleisher of Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party told voters in Bet Shemesh that Netanyahu must be pushed further right. Fleisher called for additional settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, a ministry dedicated to the "voluntary" departure of Palestinians, the death penalty, and more weapons for Jewish civilians.

Campaign advertising has framed the divide along Netanyahu's lines. His latest posters present a choice between Yamin, the right, and Falastin, Palestine, placing opposition leaders next to the heads of two parties representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, who constitute about one-fifth of the population. Polls show the anti-Netanyahu Jewish parties gathering more votes than his bloc without reaching the 61 seats needed for a Knesset majority, keeping the question of reliance on Arab parties open. Pro-Netanyahu media, particularly Channel 14, has pressed this point. One exception came when Channel 14's Yinon Magal described Eisenkot as a Moroccan "monkey." Speakers at the Modi'in rally raised the comment; Eisenkot did not.

Several matters from Netanyahu's time in office are under review. The 7 October 2023 massacres at the Nova festival and southern kibbutzim, the deadliest attack in Israel's history, took place while he was prime minister. His war in Gaza killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, a figure Israel says includes a third who were Hamas combatants, without eliminating Hamas. Iran's nuclear capability also remains in place. He also faces fallout from his effort to limit the supreme court's authority, the Qatargate affair involving his closest aides, and his corruption trial. Oded Levi, who voted for Netanyahu in 2022 but attended the Eisenkot rally, said whoever was prime minister then "is responsible."

Netanyahu retains a base built across three decades that has held firm even after reports he received credible warnings of an attack and did not act. His allies say army and intelligence chiefs kept him uninformed, a claim that is unfounded. He is also regarded as skilled at building coalitions, and many anticipate he will gain the advantage in negotiations after the vote.

Some opposition energy comes from abroad. Liberal, secular expatriate Israelis are returning to vote, a group pollsters do not count, and their ballots could matter if the outcome turns on one of the Knesset's 120 seats. On Thursday, a state ceremony marked the 1995 assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. Netanyahu did not attend and sent a lower-ranking minister. Yair Golan, who leads the Democrats and served as a general, said he was optimistic and wanted opposition leaders to agree on a regional strategic process for long-term security, though he avoided the term "peace process." A video circulated this week showed scores of young Israelis at a Negev music festival singing Shir LaShalom, the song Rabin performed before he was shot 31 years ago. Many Israelis have set aside the word peace, though it has not disappeared. Flights home have filled, and the vote takes place on Tuesday.