Benjamin Netanyahu's political future hangs in the balance as Israel goes to the polls today.
asserted
Israel → hang → polls
The national election is widely seen as a referendum on the Israeli prime minister's leadership since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack and the wars that have since shaken the Middle East.
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that → see → East
Israelis vote for parties, which then form alliances to create a majority coalition.
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which → vote → coalition
No single party has ever won a 61-seat majority in the 120-member parliament, or Knesset.
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party → win → parliament
Opinion polls suggest a tight race, with no clear winner expected, setting the stage for weeks or even months of negotiations among around a dozen parties expected to win seats in the Knesset.
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winner → suggest → Knesset
Emotions are running high as Israelis vote.
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Israelis → run → ?
And it's never been as critical,' said Noga Mizrahi, a voter in Jerusalem, speaking of the elections.
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Mizrahi → say → elections
She said she had come from kibbutz Nirim, which was attacked on October 7.
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which → say → October
In Kiryat Shmona, a Netanyahu stronghold near the border with Lebanon, a man kicked and tore down a poster of the prime minister's leading rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot.
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man → kick → rival
In Tel Aviv, some families of those killed in the Hamas-led 2023 attack and families of former hostages held a moment of silence.
'Remember all those whose voices are no more,' said Yona Adam, the mother of Mapal Adam, who was killed.
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who → kill → Adam
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara prepare to cast their ballots at a polling station in Jerusalem
People prepare to vote at a polling station in Umm al-Fahm, Israel
Israeli settlers line up to vote at a school serving as a polling station during Israel's general election in the settlement of Kiryat Arba
At a polling station set up in a Jerusalem school, some said they were voting for change while others said they only trusted Netanyahu to keep them secure.
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they → prepare → them
'He's not responsible for October 7,' said Nisim Cohen, a reservist.
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Cohen → say → October
He said he wants Netanyahu to win the election and continue the wars in Gaza, Lebanon and with Iran until Israelis can sleep peacefully.
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Israelis → say → Iran
Zipporah Bennett, an 85-year-old retiree, also said she was voting for Netanyahu 'because he has had the experience of navigating the country through a lot of difficult seasons', praising his support from the US and adding: 'He's a man who's not afraid to take action.'
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who → say → action
Alexandra, a 65-year-old voter in Jerusalem, said: 'I want change in our country.
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I → say → country
I want a good democratic centrist government.
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I → want → government
Some 7.3 million people are eligible to vote, with hundreds of thousands of young people due to cast their ballot for the first time.
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thousands → vote → time
Surveys show they overwhelmingly identify as centre-Right or Right-wing.
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they → show → ?
Tens of thousands of Israelis are estimated to have flown in from abroad to vote in an election seen as crucial to deciding the future character of their country.
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thousands → estimate → country
Turnout in the first three hours of the election was the highest at that stage since 1981, with the Central Elections Committee giving a figure of 16.68 percent.
'I think this is one of the most important election days in the history of the state of Israel,' Uriel Brandler, a 58-year-old real estate agent, said from Jerusalem the day before the vote, saying he hoped for change.
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he → give → change
Netanyahu, who was seen casting his vote in Jerusalem, called on Israelis to vote 'the right way' on Tuesday.
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who → see → Tuesday
Eisenkot, Netanyahu's top rival, was up and meeting voters as polls opened in Ofakim, one of the communities in southern Israel that was attacked by Hamas-led militants on October 7.
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that → meet → October
Eisenkot lost his son and two nephews to combat in Gaza.
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Eisenkot → lose → Gaza
The visit was likely aimed at reminding voters of the security failures ahead of the deadliest militant attack on Israel in its history, and of Netanyahu's refusal of a state commission of inquiry into them.
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visit → aim → them
Meanwhiole, wearing his trademark noose-shaped lapel pin, hard-Right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir cast his ballot in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba, where his supporters had set up banners and speakers
Thousands of volunteer Israeli election observers were in place at polling stations across the country to monitor the election.
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Thousands → wear → election
Eyal Sher said he volunteered with a civil society group called Elections Guards because he wanted to play a role in such a critical vote.
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he → say → vote
'We have a corrupt government that will do anything to stay in power,' he said.
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he → have → power
'Every vote counts and we want to make sure the procedures are kept intact.'
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procedures → count → ?
According to Israel's Central Election Committee, more than 7.3 million Israelis are eligible to vote, including around 330,000 young Israelis who spent their high school years in the shadow of war.
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who → accord → war
The polling stations - around 12,000 of them - will close in most places at 10 pm.
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stations → close → pm
Ballots are manually counted at each polling station immediately after voting ends.
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voting → count → station
Netanyahu has been Israel's most dominant politician for nearly two decades, and a poor showing could end the 77-year-old's lengthy career on a bitter note and open the door to a new era in Israeli politics.
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showing → end → politics
A victory would cement his image as the ultimate political survivor.
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victory → cement → survivor
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump backed Netanyahu's reelection, but the late endorsement still marked a setback for the Likud politician who had billed his tight ties to the Republican president as a selling point for staying in power.
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who → back → power
An aerial view shows a campaign billboard depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party and US President Donald Trump
Itamar Ben-Gvir accompanied by his wife Ayala and their children, leaves after casting his vote in the legislative elections in the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba
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Gvir → show → Arba
An Israeli man, accompanied by children, casts a ballot at a polling station during Israel's national election
People wait before casting their ballot to vote at a polling station in the Arab-Israeli town of Umm al-Fahm
Former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, walks with former hostage Gadi Moses
Netanyahu has been a master at forming coalitions with religious and nationalist partners.
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Netanyahu → accompany → partners
But opinion polls now suggest a tight race between his bloc and the one led by Eisenkot, which says Netanyahu should be held accountable for October 7 and the failure to turn battlefield victories into diplomatic achievements.
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Netanyahu → suggest → achievements
Eisenkot has pledged to establish an independent state commission of inquiry into the security failures that led to the attack, something Netanyahu's government has resisted.
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government → pledge → attack
Seeking to unseat the premier is an informal bloc of parties led by Eisenkot's Yashar and spanning from the Right to the centre-Left - including former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, as well as seasoned politician Avigdor Lieberman and Left-leaning Yair Golan.
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bloc → seek → ministers
Neither Eisenkot nor Netanyahu has publicly said they would partner with the predominantly Arab lists, which represent some 21 percent of Israel's population and who could become kingmakers if the results are as close as expected.
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results → say → population
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
