Israelis elect Knesset in first post-attack vote with no side reaching 61 seats

Israelis are casting ballots on Tuesday in the first national election since the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023.

The vote determines the composition of a 120-seat parliament after four years of conflict and political instability.

Polls released before a publication ban took effect on Friday indicate a tight race with no clear winner.

The KAN public broadcaster survey projects 52 seats for the opposition alliance and 50 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc.

Unaffiliated parties, including the Arab-majority Raam and Joint List, are projected to take the remaining 18 seats.

Neither major bloc has the 61 seats required to form a stable majority government.

Netanyahu’s coalition centers on Likud and includes far-right and ultra-Orthodox partners such as Shas and United Torah Judaism.

The opposition groups four secular and centrist parties, led by figures including Gadi Eisenkot and Yair Lapid.

A 3.25 percent threshold determines which parties enter parliament, a bar that both major coalitions exceed.

Both blocs have signaled they will not partner with Arab-led parties, increasing the likelihood of a minority government.

Voters are weighing domestic issues such as security failures prior to the 2023 attacks and ultra-Orthodox military exemptions.

International pressure has also influenced the campaign, with several allies sanctioning West Bank settlements and condemning military actions in Gaza and Lebanon.<br>Mairav Zonszein of the International Crisis Group described the election as a final opportunity for secular factions to preserve democratic norms.<br>Netanyahu faces personal stakes, including corruption charges and an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for war crimes.<br>He has led the country for more than 15 of the last 17 years and views this vote as a way to secure a mandate against his rivals.<br>A defeat would leave him more exposed in his ongoing trial, where a conviction could result in a prison sentence.<br>Approximately 7.3 million citizens are eligible to vote, including 1.2 million Palestinian Israelis.<br>Polls suggest turnout among that community could reach 60 percent, potentially granting Arab parties up to 15 seats.<br>Campaigners are targeting a 70 percent turnout, which would mark the highest level in decades.<br>The Central Elections Committee recently reversed a decision to bar the Joint List and Raam, following a Supreme Court ruling.<br>The court also removed Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh from the race over an article he wrote about the 2023 attacks.<br>Netanyahu has argued that only his party can prevent an opposition alliance from partnering with Arab leaders.<br>Joseph Mansour, a former aide to Knesset member Ayman Odeh, said this strategy aims to keep Netanyahu in power as a caretaker prime minister if no majority forms.<br>Roughly three million Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem will not vote, despite being subject to the decisions of the incoming government.