Israel Election: Gaza Consensus Masks Domestic Power Struggle

Israelis go to the polls on Tuesday to choose between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right government and a fragmented opposition coalition. While the election is framed as a historic decision, the leading candidates largely agree on the major external policies. None of the frontrunners has challenged the war in Gaza, which began after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, or the subsequent conflict with Iran. Most have also failed to propose a clear path toward a two-state solution or a fair settlement with Palestinians under Israeli occupation.

The primary divide is domestic. Voters are choosing between a government that operates with limited judicial oversight and a coalition that promises similar policies but within existing legal frameworks. On the two-state solution, Israel committed to pursuing it in the 1990s Oslo Accords, but few contenders are ready to honor that pledge. The current government is accused of supporting settler attacks and construction in the West Bank, including the E1 settlement plan. Netanyahu has stated there will be no Palestinian state, while Gadi Eisenkot of the Yashar party called the two-state principle a mistake.

The conscription of the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, population is a central domestic issue as the costs of the wars mount. Netanyahu relies on the Shas and United Torah Judaism parties for support in the Knesset. These parties have demanded legislation to overturn a June 25, 2024, Supreme Court ruling that protects ultra-Orthodox youth from the draft. After approximately 40 Haredim were arrested this month for avoiding conscription, Netanyahu described the arrests as a deliberate attempt to harm the drafting process. Shas leader Aryeh Deri said his party would not join a government unless the status of yeshiva students is regulated.

The judicial overhaul is another major point of contention. The government unveiled a plan to curb the courts shortly after taking office in 2022, sparking mass protests that were interrupted by the Gaza war. The coalition has passed measures changing judge appointments and stripping Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of many powers. These measures are set to take effect after the election, and most opposition leaders have vowed to reverse them. Justice Minister Yariv Levin calls the election a historic chance to complete the reforms, while critics view it as an assault on democracy by a prime minister facing a long-running corruption trial.

Accountability for the October 7 attacks has dominated the campaign, even though the death of more than 74,000 people in Gaza is absent from the platforms of the main alliances. Security inquiries led to the resignation of Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in January 2025 and the departure of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar in June 2025. No comparable inquiry has examined Netanyahu’s role, despite reports that the UAE and Egypt warned him before the attack. Eisenkot promised a State Commission of Inquiry, while Netanyahu told the Knesset his government wants an inquiry with broad public support.