74,000 Gaza Deaths Frame Tuesday's Israeli Election

More than 74,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, yet this toll has been largely absent from the platforms of the two main political alliances in Tuesday's election. The vote is being described by officials as the most consequential in the country's history, but the frontrunners have shown little disagreement on their core war strategy. Since the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent conflicts with Iran, no leading contender has challenged the continuation of military operations. Most candidates have also failed to propose a clear path toward a two-state solution or a fair settlement for Palestinians under occupation.

The primary division among voters is domestic rather than external. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a hard-right government that would operate without the judicial oversight he has long criticized. His opponents propose a loose coalition with a similar policy agenda, but one that aims to govern within the law and without the current government's more extreme elements. On the question of Palestinian statehood, few contenders appear ready to honor the Oslo Accords of the 1990s. The government is accused of supporting settler attacks and construction in the West Bank, including the E1 settlement plan. Ministers openly state that E1 will bury the two-state idea. Netanyahu has promised that there will be no Palestinian state, while Gadi Eisenkot of the Yashar party called the principle of two states for two peoples a mistake.

Conscription for the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, population is another major flashpoint. As the human and economic costs of the wars rise, this issue has gained prominence. Netanyahu relies on two Haredi parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, for support in the Knesset. These parties have demanded legislation to overturn a June 2024 Supreme Court ruling that shields ultra-Orthodox youth from the draft. After about 40 Haredim were arrested this month for avoiding conscription, Netanyahu called the arrests a deliberate attempt to harm the drafting process. Shas leader Aryeh Deri stated his party would not join any government unless the status of yeshiva students is regulated. Eisenkot framed the vote as a choice between Netanyahu's draft-dodging government and a government of conscription led by him.

The judicial overhaul remains a central battleground. The government unveiled a plan to curb the courts shortly after taking office in 2022, which sparked months of mass protests in 2023 before the Gaza war interrupted them. The coalition has since passed measures changing how judges are appointed. In July, a law stripped Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of many powers, allowing the government to reject her legal advice and hire its own lawyers. Both measures are due to take effect after the election. Most of the opposition has vowed to reverse them. Critics call the moves an assault on democracy by a prime minister facing a long-running corruption trial, while Justice Minister Yariv Levin calls the election a historic chance to finish the job.

Accountability for the October 7 attacks has dominated the campaign. Inquiries into security failures led Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to resign in January 2025. A bitter dispute with the prime minister ended with Shin Bet head Ronen Bar leaving in June of last year. No comparable inquiry has examined Netanyahu's own role, despite reports that the UAE and Egypt warned him before the attack. Eisenkot said Netanyahu was warned and did not act, and promised a State Commission of Inquiry. Netanyahu told the Knesset his government wants an inquiry with as broad public support as possible. The proposed government-led inquiry never reached its final reading and has been deferred to the next session.