Israel Election Puts Netanyahu’s Political Future At Risk.
Despite the challenges, Netanyahu remains a powerful figure in Israeli politics after nearly two decades in office, with a firmly established right-wing support base and Israel’s fragmented political system potentially offering him another route to forming a government.
Opinion polls suggest a closely fought contest between Netanyahu’s Likud party and its right-wing allies and a rival bloc led by former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, who has attracted support from centrist and right-wing voters.
Polling stations opened at 7am local time and are scheduled to close at 10pm with millions of Israelis eligible to participate in the election.
Netanyahu has made his record during the country’s wars a central part of his campaign while also highlighting his relationship with US President Donald Trump, who has publicly backed him. Speaking on Sunday, Netanyahu said Trump could take further action against Iran to “finally” eliminate what he described as the Iranian threat, while suggesting that such action could depend on him remaining in office. Eisenkot, however, accused Netanyahu of running a campaign based on “fear-mongering, lies and threats,” while maintaining that Trump would cooperate with whichever leader Israeli voters choose. Netanyahu could once again need the support of far-right politicians Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich to secure a governing coalition.
MSEApp News is publishing an original rewrite of this tip for readers, based on reporting associated with Arise News.