- Published
Israel's general election takes place on Tuesday 27 October.
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election → publish → Tuesday
It's the first election since the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel and its subsequent conflicts in Gaza and with Iran, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
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It → lead → Iran
Many view it as one of the most pivotal elections in Israel's history, with global implications.
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Many → view → implications
Current polling puts incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu in a tight race with Gadi Eisenkot, a former head of the Israel Defense Forces, to become prime minister.
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polling → put → Forces
Eisenkot's popularity stems partly from his military credentials and his relative newness in politics, having formed his Yashar Party only last year.
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popularity → stem → Party
He lost his son, a soldier, in the first months of the Gaza war, and served in Israel's war cabinet under Netanyahu until resigning in 2024 over disagreements about the conflict.
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He → lose → conflict
He has built his campaign on calls for accountability over the security failures that led to 7 October.
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that → build → October
Other opposition leaders include former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman - both right-wingers who take hardline positions on security and advocate permanent Israeli control over much of the occupied West Bank - and Yair Golan, a left-winger who supports Israel's withdrawal from large parts of the territory.
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who → include → territory
Despite their differences, they could work with Eisenkot to form a government.
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they → work → government
In order to remain in power, he will likely have to rely on the support of some of his existing far-right coalition partners.
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he → remain → partners
Some hold ultra-nationalist positions, such as calling for Israel to annex the West Bank and for the "migration" of Palestinians from Gaza - which could amount to the forced displacement of civilians.
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which → hold → civilians
Some members of Netanyahu's own Likud party have also called for Palestinian "migration" from the territory.
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members → call → territory
There are two Arab party blocs in the running too, as about one-fifth of Israel's population is Arab - many of whom describe themselves as Palestinian citizens of Israel.
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many → be → Israel
In theory, they could prove kingmakers.
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they → prove → theory
But all but one of the leading Jewish parties have ruled out working with them.
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all → lead → them
How do the elections work?
Israel's parliament - known as the Knesset - has 120 seats, meaning a government must hold 61 seats to command a majority.
Israel uses a proportional representation voting system, meaning governments have always been coalitions of multiple parties.
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governments → work → parties
This means that after election day, it may take weeks or even months before the next government is formed - with different parties wrangling for concessions and deals being struck.
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parties → mean → concessions
If no bloc can form a majority, it is possible a minority government could take power.
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government → form → power
The dominating topic has been security - with the challengers to Netanyahu all heavily criticising the security failures that led to the 7 October attacks, in which nearly 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken back to Gaza as hostages.
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others → dominate → hostages
Nevertheless, Netanyahu has once again framed himself as "Mr Security", pointing to strategic victories in Israel's wars since 2023.
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Netanyahu → frame → 2023
Historically, ultra-Orthodox Jewish men in full-time religious study have been exempt from military service, but since war broke out this has become an increasingly divisive policy.
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this → break → service
Judicial reform has also featured heavily during the campaign.
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reform → feature → campaign
Netanyahu's government is still pursuing contentious plans for reforms to the judicial system, which led to mass protests before 7 October.
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which → pursue → October
Critics say the plans would compromise the independence of the judiciary and threaten democracy.
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plans → say → democracy
Food and housing costs have grown steadily in recent years.
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costs → grow → years
What does it mean for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank?
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it → mean → Gaza
A year on from the ceasefire in Gaza, Israel continues to carry out near-daily strikes on the territory - saying it is targeting Hamas operatives - and maintains control of more than half of it.
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it → continue → it
More than 74,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since 7 October 2023, according to the Hamas-run health ministry - whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.
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figures → kill → UN
In the West Bank, attacks by Jewish settlers are at an all-time high, according to UN records, while Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law, are rapidly expanding.
So for Palestinians, the shape of Israel's government is a major factor in their lives.
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shape → accord → lives
On Gaza, the two leading camps - headed by Netanyahu and Eisenkot - hold similar positions - with both supporting Donald Trump's peace plan, which would see Hamas give up its weapons in exchange for a phased Israeli troop withdrawal from the territory.
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Hamas → lead → territory
Eisenkot recently pledged to end Hamas rule in the territory within 18 months, through military means if necessary.
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Eisenkot → pledge → means
In the West Bank, Netanyahu's camp largely wants to continue with its policy of settlement expansion.
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camp → want → expansion
Eisenkot supports Israeli settlements in general, but opposes proceeding with the controversial E1 settlement project which would, in effect, split the West Bank in two.
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which → support → two
He also wants to close some unauthorised settler outposts built on Palestinian land, create conditions for a final peace settlement with the Palestinians, and crack down on extremist Jewish settlers.
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He → want → settlers
For decades, many mainstream Israeli politicians advocated for a two-state solution - the creation of an independent Palestinian state in peaceful coexistence alongside Israel - although Netanyahu has long opposed it.
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Netanyahu → advocate → it
But support for the idea has been declining for years.
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support → decline → years
In this election, none of the leading Jewish parties are campaigning on it, and many have outright rejected it.
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many → lead → it
When will we know the results?
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we → know → results
At 22:00 local time (20:00 GMT) on election day, Israeli broadcasters will publish exit polls.
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broadcasters → publish → polls
These will give some indication of the direction of voting, but can vary significantly and current polling suggests a clear projected winner is unlikely.
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winner → give → voting
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
