Professor Emad Omar Says Israel Elections Will Shape Netanyahu’s Accountability After October 7

Election as a turning point

Dr. Emad Omar said the upcoming Israeli elections represent "the most important milestone in Israel's history" under conditions that include a deterioration of relations with several European countries and rising questions about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and its responsibility for the failures of October 7.

Omar said the elections will place "the Israeli political level before accountability regarding the October 7 failures" and will shape whether Israel continues the military approach or opens the way for new leadership seeking to restore relations with European countries.

Omar said the election outcome will reflect on Israeli policies toward Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran, and he predicted an increase in voter turnout with activity within the Arab community in Israel pushing for change.

Omar said deterioration of relations with European countries is one of the files on the agenda before the Israeli voter, alongside repercussions of the war and policies related to settlement in the West Bank.

Omar added that European pressures on Israel, including stances related to settlement products, reflect widening diplomatic challenges facing the government, and he said the elections may determine whether Israel continues current policies or attempts to repair foreign relations and reframe its regional orientation.

Reporting for this sectionAl-Yawm as-Sābi‘

Expats fly home to vote

Ayelet Frank checked in on Sunday, Oct. 25, for a nonstop flight from San Francisco to Tel Aviv and said she is flying back for one reason: to vote in the Oct. 27 election.

Frank said, "This election is unique. It’s very different than any other," and she added, "It’s about Israel’s very existence."

Udi Pardo said, "But now it’s a national emergency. I can’t not go," and he said, "We need to bring back sanity to Israel and to Israeli politics and reestablish liberal democracy because it’s about to disappear."

The article said Israel does not allow absentee voting except for diplomats and other state employees posted abroad, so expats who want to cast a ballot must do so in person.

The article said the El Al flight 48 landed in Israel less than 24 hours before the polls open, and it described the mood at San Francisco International Airport as buoyant with families, babies in strollers, and Israeli expats running up to hug friends.

Reporting for this sectionwww.jpost › Israel Election 2026

Competing visions and diplomatic stakes

Gideon Rahat said Netanyahu's staying power boiled down to "three major bodies of support" that he continues to hold on to, including the ultra-Orthodox, the far-right, and Netanyahu's personal supporters. Rahat said, "He has really established himself a personal cult, and convinced his supporters that he is the only person that can rule Israel," and he added that Netanyahu cannot distinguish between himself and the state. Jonathan Rynhold said Netanyahu is "a political genius" and argued that Netanyahu takes the external image he projects "far more seriously than any other Israeli politician."

In a separate appeal, Benjamin Netanyahu told voters, "The mission is Iran," and he said the coming election is either moving forward with a strong right-wing government under his leadership or moving backward toward an Eisenkot government with the Arab parties, Yair Golan and Bennett. The JTA opinion piece warned that "Israel’s isolation is underway" and said the campaign to sever Israel from its friends and undermine its legitimacy threatens Israel's economy, security and freedom of action.

Reporting for this sectionwww.timesofisrael › will-this-election-mark-the-end-of-the-road-for-n...www.jpost › Opinion