Israel heads into deeply divided election as Oct. 7 reckoning looms: What to know
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL — Campaign banners bearing the faces of Israel's political leaders cover buildings and roadsides, while in homes, coffee shops and family gatherings, the same question dominates conversations: Will Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remain in power?With Israelis heading to the polls Tuesday, the country is bracing for a closely contested election that could end in another political deadlock.But this vote is unlike any other in Israel's recent history.For many Israelis, the election has become a referendum on accountability for the failures that allowed Hamas terrorists to carry out the Oct.
7, 2023, massacre — the deadliest attack in Israel's history.TRUMP SAYS NETANYAHU NEEDS TO BE RE-ELECTED, OR ELSE US WILL HAVE TO 'FINISH THE JOB’ AGAINST IRAN ALONEFormer Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot attends an event for his Yashar party, ahead of Israel's national election in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 25, 2026.(Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)Netanyahu, who has dominated Israeli politics for decades, has resisted calls to accept personal responsibility for the security failures and establish an independent state commission of inquiry.
His government instead sought a politically appointed investigation, a proposal fiercely opposed by many bereaved families.Yet Israel's divisions began long before Oct.7.In the months preceding the attacks, hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets to protest Netanyahu's proposed judicial overhaul, which critics argued would undermine the country's democracy.
The confrontation spilled into the military, where reservists threatened to suspend volunteer service, raising alarms about Israel's preparedness.Some critics have argued that the turmoil projected weakness to the country's enemies, although the extent to which it influenced Hamas's decision to attack remains disputed.Three years after the massacre, those divisions have only deepened, transforming Tuesday's vote into something intensely personal.
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