Transcript [00:00] On Tuesday, Israelis will be casting [00:02] their votes for the first time since [00:03] October 7th. For most Israelis, the [00:06] terror attack and the invasion on [00:08] southern Israel on that day and the [00:10] ensuing war will be at the forefront of [00:13] their minds when deciding who should [00:15] govern their country. The key issues are [00:17] security, a national inquiry into the [00:19] failure surrounding October 7th, and the [00:22] conscription of the Haredi, who are [00:24] largely exempt from compulsive military [00:26] service, placing an immense strain on [00:28] the reserveists and the IDF as a whole. [00:31] Then, of course, there is Netanyahu [00:33] himself. The election can broadly be [00:35] divided into two camps, the neverbe and [00:38] the always BBB, but reaching a decision [00:40] at the ballot box is far from [00:42] straightforward. Israel's democracy is [00:45] notoriously complex. Unlike many other [00:47] democracies, Israel has no regional [00:49] constituencies. So voters choose between [00:52] parties and representatives which [00:54] directly impact the 120 seats in the [00:56] Knesset. This system known as [00:58] proportional representation encourages a [01:01] multitude of parties, each representing [01:03] a different section of Israeli society. [01:05] Today, Israel has roughly 10 million [01:07] people divided across a wide range of [01:09] ethnic and religious communities from [01:12] Jews all the way from Europe and Latin [01:14] America to Ethiopia, Iraq or Morocco to [01:17] Christians and [music] Muslims. This [01:19] means that electing just one [01:21] representative from such a diverse [01:23] population can be very difficult. No one [01:25] single party has ever won the 61 seat [01:27] majority needed to govern outright in [01:30] Israel's history. So the winner here [01:32] won't necessarily be the most popular [01:34] party, but the one best at making [01:36] strategic alliances, giving smaller [01:38] parties a disproportionate power [01:41] relative to their size. Then another [01:44] factor is the electoral threshold. [01:46] Parties need at least 3.2% of [music] [01:48] the vote to enter the Knesset. And with [01:50] so many small parties competing, votes [01:52] for those that fall short can [01:54] effectively be wasted. So who are the [01:57] main contenders? First, there is [01:58] Netanyahu's Likood, which draws support [02:01] from a broad right-wing base. To stay in [02:03] power, Netanyahu is likely to need [02:05] smaller parties, potentially including [02:07] the religious right. His main challenger [02:09] is Gaddy Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of [02:12] staff whose Yasha party occupies the [02:14] center of Israeli politics. He appeals [02:17] to voters seeking a new leadership, [02:19] particularly prioritizing security and [02:22] accountability for the failures of [02:23] October 7th. Then there is Beayahhat, an [02:27] alliance between former prime ministers [02:28] Naftali Bennett and Ya Laid. It aims to [02:32] unite voters from religious [02:33] traditionalists to liberal city dwellers [02:36] around one central message. Israel needs [02:39] a change of government and a more [02:41] competent leadership. The latest polls [02:43] suggests a close race between Likood and [02:45] Yashar. But leading the polls doesn't [02:47] necessarily mean being able to form a [02:50] government. And that will depend on [02:52] coalition negotiations and whether each [02:54] side can secure 61 seats with the [02:57] support of smaller parties.
🇮🇱 What is going to decide this Israeli election?
Michelle Wolodarsky explains.
On Tuesday, Israelis will be casting their votes for the first time since 2022 — and, crucially, for the first time since October 7.
For most Israelis, the terror attack and invasion of southern Israel on October 7, and the ensuing war, will be at the forefront of their minds when deciding who should govern their country.
The key issues are security, a national inquiry into the failures surrounding October 7, and the conscription of the charedi, who are largely exempt from compulsory military service — placing immense strain on reservists and the IDF.
Then there’s Netanyahu himself. The election can broadly be divided into two camps: Never Bibi and Always Bibi...
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