Israelis voted in their highest numbers for more than half a century in the country’s first election since the October 2023 Hamas attack, effectively a referendum on the war-dominated rule of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
asserted
Israelis → vote → Netanyahu
Turnout stood at 31.5% as of 12 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the central election committee, the highest level at this stage in the process since 1973 — a highly charged election that followed the Yom Kippur war with Egypt and Syria.
uncertain
that → stand → Egypt
Voting will stop at 10 p.m., when the first exit polls will be published.
asserted
polls → stop → p.m.
Netanyahu, 77, is seeking reelection, saying the military campaigns he’s led in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and against Iran over the past three years have made the country safer.
asserted
country → seek → years
He’s been endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump, who backed him to help “finish the job” in the ongoing war against the Islamic Republic.
asserted
who → endorse → Republic
Netanyahu’s opponents, led by 66-year-old former armed forces chief Gadi Eisenkot, say Israel’s longest serving leader is also the country’s greatest threat — and the main reason for its growing international isolation.
asserted
leader → lead → isolation
They point to his indictment for bribery — an allegation Netanyahu denies — and partnership with nationalist extremists such as Itamar Ben Gvir, who have influenced the government’s anti-Arab rhetoric and policies.
asserted
who → point → rhetoric
Polling stations in parts of Tel Aviv were packed on Tuesday morning, with lines snaking through schools — where many of the booths have been set up — and spilling into streets.
asserted
many → snake → streets
Some of the political parties set up stands blaring out music, and handed out balloons, sweets and stickers to voters and their children.
asserted
Some → set → voters
Polls have consistently forecast that neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot’s blocs will secure enough votes to claim the 61-seat parliamentary majority needed to form a government.
uncertain
blocs → forecast → government
Complex, weeks-long negotiations and even a possible second election could follow.
uncertain
negotiations → follow → ?
The Israeli Arab minority may end up as kingmakers, with turnout among the group that makes up about 20% of the population expected to be higher than previous elections.
uncertain
that → end → elections
The two Israeli Arab parties — which accuse Netanyahu’s government of racial discrimination and neglect — have offered to support a coalition led by Eisenkot.
asserted
which → accuse → Eisenkot
Some of his partners, however, have vowed they won’t serve in any government relying on Arabs.
asserted
they → vow → Arabs
Tens of thousands of Israeli expatriates have flown in to cast their votes, with many expected to be supporting the opposition.
asserted
many → fly → opposition
The shekel appreciated about one per cent against the dollar to 3.05 by around 2:30 p.m., its biggest one-day rise since August.
asserted
shekel → appreciate → August
Tel Aviv-based IBI Investment House last week said that Israeli assets would probably climb if Netanyahu lost.
asserted
Netanyahu → base → ?
“This is an emergency appeal, because they are trying to steal the election from us,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by his Likud party, referring to Israeli Arabs.
asserted
Netanyahu → try → Arabs
You must go out and vote,” he said.
asserted
he → go → ?
“Make sure everyone comes: grandpa, grandma, uncle and aunt, the neighbors,” Netanyahu added.
asserted
Netanyahu → make → ?
“Nobody stays home.
asserted
Nobody → stay → ?
A higher turnout increases the number of votes that smaller parties need to enter parliament, said Shalom Yerushalmi, a veteran political analyst for The Times of Israel, potentially reducing the number of potential coalition partners for both sides.
asserted
Yerushalmi → increase → sides
“A high turnout generally plays into the hands of the larger parties; beyond that point, it all comes down to which side can better mobilize its voter base,” he said.
asserted
he → play → base
In Israel, unlike in the U.S., the war against Iran was broadly popular, in part because Tehran sponsors Islamist terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
asserted
Tehran → sponsor → Hamas
What has hurt Netanyahu is that it has turned into indefinite conflict with no end in sight and hasn’t dislodged the theocratic government in Tehran.
asserted
end → hurt → Tehran
While Netanyahu says regime change is a priority, Eisenkot is advocating narrower goals.
asserted
Eisenkot → say → goals
He says Iran’s nuclear program must be stopped, militarily if necessary.
asserted
program → say → ?
But he wants more focus on diplomacy and told Army Radio this month it is “not an achievable goal” to overthrow the Iranian government.
asserted
it → want → government
Beyond national security, voters are casting ballots on a set of domestic issues — including whether to draft ultra-Orthodox young men into the army.
asserted
voters → cast → army
The power of the Supreme Court and judicial system, which Netanyahu has sought to undermine, transparency and corruption are also on the agenda.
asserted
transparency → seek → agenda
The economy has mostly taken a back seat.
asserted
economy → take → seat
Israel has proved resilient in the face of multiple wars, with the shekel and the stock market outperforming most rich-world peers this year.
asserted
shekel → prove → peers
Still, whoever leads the next government will have to deal with issues ranging from a soaring defence budget to rising sovereign debt levels and one of the world’s highest costs of living.
asserted
leads → lead → living
Netanyahu loyalists remain defiant.
asserted
loyalists → remain → ?
While the prime minister has been criticized for failing to prevent the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack — in which terrorists killed 1,200 people and abducted 250 — his supporters blame the security establishment and say only Netanyahu has the skill and experience to defend the nation.
asserted
Netanyahu → criticize → nation
At least 74,000 people have been killed in Israel’s subsequent campaign in Gaza, according to the Hamas-led health ministry there, and the territory has been reduced to near rubble.
uncertain
territory → kill → rubble
For Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where violence by Jewish settlers on Arabs has soared since the Hamas attack, the election is unlikely to lead to any immediate changes.
asserted
election → soar → changes
Like Netanyahu, Eisenkot has ruled out a two-state solution, saying it would threaten Israel’s security, though he’s condemned the government for supporting Israelis who have attacked Palestinians.
asserted
who → rule → Palestinians
Netanyahu’s Likud party says Israel has turned the tables on its Iran-backed enemies since 2023.
asserted
Israel → say → 2023
Beyond controlling most of Gaza and largely stopping Hamas rocket fire into Israel, the military has severely degraded Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and, along with the US, damaged Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities, even if Tehran’s leadership remains far from defeated.
asserted
leadership → control → capabilities
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
