Israel heads to the polls as shift to the right dominates critical election
Netanyahu seeks to extend rule at helm of far right alliance facing off against predominantly right-wing bloc.
Israel is heading to the polls on Tuesday in a closely contested election that is being described as one of the most important in its history.
The vote is the first since the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023 and the subsequent genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza, as well as a wider conflict that has seen Israel carry out attacks on Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Qatar.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is seeking to extend his tenure after leading the country’s most right-wing governing coalition which brought together far-right ultranationalists and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties.
With the vote closely watched across the region and beyond, analysts also say the stakes go beyond the names on the ballot and cut through to the very nature of the character and future of Israel.