Israelis cast ballots for 120 Knesset seats as blocs battle for majority

Israeli voters cast their ballots on Tuesday, October 27, to elect the country's next 120-member Knesset. The snap election pits the incumbent coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against an opposition bloc seeking to replace his government. Fifteen lists are on the ballot, competing for a majority in the legislature.

The election outcome will hinge on the performance of parties hovering near the 3.25 percent electoral threshold. This cutoff determines whether a list wins parliamentary representation. Recent polls place the People of Israel party and the Reservists-Economic Party near this boundary. Their final vote shares could shift the balance of power between the major political blocs.

Benjamin Netanyahu leads Likud, the right-wing party that heads the current coalition. Likud emphasizes national security, Jewish nationalism, and opposition to Palestinian statehood. The Netanyahu bloc also includes Otzma Yehudit, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, which advocates a hardline security approach and expanded Jewish settlement. The Religious Zionist Party, co-led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Moshe Feiglin, supports applying Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank and advancing judicial reform.

The ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism also form part of the Netanyahu bloc. Shas represents Sephardi and Mizrahi haredi communities, while United Torah Judaism represents Ashkenazi communities. Both parties prioritize protecting religious institutions and maintaining exemptions from IDF service for yeshiva students. A smaller list, the Haredi Public Party led by Moti Leitner, challenges these established parties by supporting broader military service and core-curriculum studies for haredi students.

The opposition bloc is led by former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot and his centrist party, Yashar. Yashar focuses on government reform and replacing Netanyahu. Naftali Bennett, a former prime minister, leads B’Yachad, a centrist party that prioritizes economic growth and the enlistment of haredi men into the IDF. Yair Golan heads the Democrats, a left-wing Zionist party emphasizing civil rights and education reform. Avigdor Liberman leads Yisrael Beytenu, a secular nationalist party that seeks to reduce the influence of religious parties in government.

Arab Israeli politics is represented by two main lists. The Joint List is left-wing and emphasizes Palestinian national rights and civil equality. Mansour Abbas leads Ra’am, which takes a more pragmatic approach focused on crime reduction and securing funding for Arab communities. Both lists compete for votes from Arab Israelis, with their combined results influencing the overall parliamentary math.

Two smaller right-leaning lists are also fighting for the threshold. Ofer Winter, a former IDF general, leads the People of Israel party. This list supports Netanyahu for prime minister but calls for new leadership outside the political establishment. It rejects blanket exemptions for yeshiva students and advocates for voluntary emigration from Gaza. Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelekha lead the Reservists-Economic Party, which combines a security agenda with economic reform demands. The party states it will join only a Zionist government and requires a universal conscription law before formation.

Voters select parties using specific Hebrew letters printed on the ballot. Likud is marked with the letter combination 'Machal.' Yashar uses 'Dark.' B’Yachad uses 'Rak.' The Democrats use 'Emet.' Yisrael Beytenu is marked with 'L.' Otzma Yehudit uses 'B.' The Joint List uses 'Vadom,' while Ra’am uses 'Am.' Shas is marked with 'Shin-Samekh,' and United Torah Judaism uses 'Gimel.' The Religious Zionist Party uses 'Tet.' The People of Israel party uses 'Kaf,' the Reservists-Economic Party uses 'Di,' and the Haredi Public Party uses 'Zayin-Kaf.'

Counting of votes begins immediately after polling stations close. The Central Election Commission will announce preliminary results as they are tallied. The final allocation of the 120 Knesset seats will depend on the exact percentage of the vote each party receives. Parties that fail to meet the 3.25 percent threshold will not win any seats, leaving their supporters without direct representation in the new legislature.