Israel votes as leaders align on war and split on courts

Israeli citizens go to the polls on Tuesday to choose a government, a vote that officials describe as the most consequential in the country's history. Despite the high stakes, the leading candidates share a largely identical stance on the ongoing war in Gaza, which began after the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. No major contender has challenged the continuation of that war or the subsequent conflict with Iran. The candidates also offer few distinct paths toward a two-state solution or a fair settlement for Palestinians under Israeli occupation.

The primary division among voters concerns domestic governance. The choice is between the hard-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which operates with reduced judicial oversight, and a loose coalition of opponents. This opposition group promises a similar policy agenda but intends to govern within the law, without the more extreme elements of the current administration.

Attitudes toward Palestinian statehood remain largely static among the frontrunners. Although Israel committed to a two-state solution in the Oslo Accords of the 1990s, few leaders are ready to honor that pledge. The current government is accused of supporting settler attacks and construction in occupied territories, including the E1 settlement plan, which ministers say will eliminate the possibility of a Palestinian state. Prime Minister Netanyahu has stated that there will be no Palestinian state, while Gadi Eisenkot of the Yashar party called the two-state principle a mistake. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged the next government to cancel the Oslo Accords and pursue sovereignty.

Conscription of the ultra-Orthodox population has become a central domestic issue. Prime Minister Netanyahu relies on support from the Shas and United Torah Judaism parties to maintain his majority in the Knesset. These parties demand legislation to overturn a June 25, 2024 Supreme Court ruling that shields ultra-Orthodox youth from the draft. Following the arrest of about 40 ultra-Orthodox men this month for avoiding conscription, Netanyahu described the arrests as a deliberate attempt to harm the drafting process. Shas leader Aryeh Deri stated his party would not join any government unless the status of yeshiva students is regulated.

The judicial overhaul remains another major flashpoint. After unveiling a plan to curb court power in 2022, the government passed measures changing how judges are appointed. In July, a law stripped Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of many powers, allowing the government to reject her legal advice. Both measures are scheduled to take effect after the election. The opposition has vowed to reverse these changes, while the government has boycotted Chief Justice Isaac Amit. Justice Minister Yariv Levin calls the election a historic chance to complete the judicial reform.

Accountability for the events of October 7 has dominated the campaign. More than 74,000 people have been killed in Gaza, a figure absent from the platforms of the two main alliances. Inquiries into security failures led to the resignation of Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in January 2025 and the departure of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar in June 2025. Eisenkot promised a State Commission of Inquiry, stating that Netanyahu was warned and did not act. Netanyahu told the Knesset that his government wants an inquiry with broad public support, though the proposed government-led inquiry has been deferred to the next session.