Israeli Politicsupdated 37m ago2 min read
Netanyahu Faces Gadi Eisenkot In Israel’s Tuesday Parliamentary Elections
12outlets comparedWhere the coverage agrees
5 Western Mainstream3 Asian2 West Asian2 Other source typesThis article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Gadi Eisenkot is Netanyahu's main rival in the October 27 election. Polls show near parity between Eisenkot and Netanyahu.
12 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Economist Warns Netanyahu Election Could Accelerate Israelis’ Exodus From Israel →
Elections, rivals, and stakes
Israel’s Tuesday parliamentary elections set Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against Gadi Eisenkot, with Eisenkot emerging as Netanyahu’s main rival in polls that show the two “neck and neck.” Eisenkot, a 66-year-old former army chief, opposes the creation of a Palestinian state and has pledged to defeat Hamas in Gaza within 18 months if elected, while he also supports settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and says he will end the impunity enjoyed by settlers who have increasingly attacked Palestinian civilians. Eisenkot’s campaign is shaped by the war in Gaza that began in October 2023 with Hamas’ “unprecedented attack on Israel,” and the article says his son and two nephews were killed in combat during that war.
The election is also framed around Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, which RTVE.es describes as “the deadliest massacre in Israel’s history,” with more than 1,200 dead. More than 7.3 million Israelis are called to vote on Tuesday, October 27, in elections that could end almost two decades, often interrupted, of Netanyahu’s leadership.
Coalitions and Arab kingmaking
The election outcome is presented as a coalition problem rather than a simple vote count, with Enfoque Judío saying the question is which leader can assemble a parliamentary majority and form a government. Itzhak Herzog commissions the formation of the government to the member of parliament he considers has the best chance, and this person has 28 days, extendable by 14, to negotiate a coalition. A 120-seat Knesset distributes seats proportionally among parties that surpass the electoral threshold of 3.25%, and to enter Parliament a list needs to obtain roughly four seats.
CNN reports that political deadlock is a real possibility, because neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor the anti-Netanyahu bloc is on track to reach a 61-seat majority. More than two million Arab citizens could help determine whether Netanyahu remains in office, while the parties representing them may still be considered unacceptable partners by Jewish-led formations seeking to replace him.
Crypto sanctions and campaign fire
Netanyahu’s campaign has also drawn criticism over a proposal to use cryptocurrency to bypass potential international sanctions, with The Business Standard saying Netanyahu suggested a “bypass economy.” The Business Standard quotes Netanyahu saying, “There could be sanctions, and sanctions on banks so you need to set up a bypass economy,” and Netanyahu told Israel’s Channel 10, “You know, there are currencies that can bypass (sanctions).” The Bank of Israel rebuked the idea, and The Business Standard says the bank stated, “crypto currencies cannot serve as a route to bypass sanctions.”
The Business Standard reports that more than 100 people, including former Bank of Israel officials and ex-central bank governor Jacob Frenkel, signed a letter warning that Netanyahu’s proposal would lead to higher unemployment and a fall in foreign investment. South China Morning Post describes how the campaign has turned ugly with jibes and inflammatory attacks, and it says the electioneering has at times become personal, with candidates who lost loved ones in the wars following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack having their bereavement dragged into the campaign.