Israeli election to test Netanyahu's ability to hold power

Tens of thousands marched in Tel Aviv last night demanding Benjamin Netanyahu's government answer for the failures that led to the October 7 terror attacks. "We cannot be a dictatorship!" said one woman. "And we cannot have these criminals running our country."

Tuesday will be the first parliamentary elections since the attacks. Thirty-nine parties are running, but essentially one man is on the ballot: Netanyahu. Over three decades, Netanyahu (known here as Bibi) has dominated Israeli politics.

And in a market outside Tel Aviv, opinions about the prime minister are as varied as the offerings here.

Asked whom he will vote for, restaurant owner Benny Abraham replied, "Likud and Bibi Netanyahu."

"Bibi can handle the whole world," Abraham said. "Bibi is charismatic. He has a strong voice. The world loves him." He added affectionately, "He's the king of Israel."

Many others, like Liat and her husband Sharon, could be lumped into the "Anyone but Bibi" camp. "I don't hate him, OK, I think he did the good things to Israel, but no more," said Liat.

Sharon described Netanyahu as "more or less, very good politician, but not a [good manager]."

The divide on Netanyhu stems from controversial changes sidelining the country's judiciary; an ongoing trial on corruption charges; and allegations he failed to heed prior warnings about October 7. 

While some people says they feel Netanyahu protects Israel, 80-year-old Margalit Moses told us she does not feel the prime minister protect her. Moses was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th. Nearly a third of the residents of her kibbutz, Nir Oz, were killed or captured. October 7th moved many Israelis further to the right – but Moses.

"I hope people will understand that we have to change the government so the new government will be more middle, or a little bit left," she said. "We'll change the mind in Israel about the Arabs. If we can make peace with them and live in peace with them, it's, for me, very important."

Netanyahu's campaign has framed these elections as existential for Israelis. In an intersection less than a mile from the Gaza Strip, political posters read "Right or Palestine," with members of the opposition parties depicted on the left.

And leading the opposition challenge is Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff. His son was killed fighting Hamas shortly after the Gaza War began. Eisenkot left Netanyahu's government in 2024, accusing him of prolonging the war and delaying a hostage deal to appease his right-wing coalition partners.

"For Israelis, [Eisenkot] represents the anti-Bibi, something more pragmatic," said political analyst Dahlia Scheindlin. She says that while President Trump endorsed Netanyahu, Eisenkot is unlikely to dramatically change course on the issues of most concern to Mr. Trump and the U.S.: the wars in Gaza and Iran.

Asked if Eisenkot represents a substantive change in terms of policy, Scheindlin replied, "I think for Israelis, the biggest change he represents is that they expect him to form a government that does not have religious extremists and right-wing ultra-nationalist populists, and doesn't have Jewish supremacists. The biggest things that he would do differently is that he wants to establish a state commission of inquiry into October 7th, and draft the ultra-Orthodox. And those are two overpowering issues in Israeli life, particularly for the opposition."

Polls show Eisenkot's party with a clear lead, but to form a government he'd likely have to build a coalition with at least four other parties

Despite what the polls say, Scheindlin says there is still a chance that, a year from now, Netanyahu could still be prime minister: "Absolutely. He is the master of engineering politicians, coalition bargaining. He has more experience than anybody else at masterminding the political system within legal means. And so, we certainly could be in a situation where Netanyahu is prime minister a year from now."

Produced by Christine Romo and Dustin Stephens. Editor: Ed Givnish. 

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Israeli election to test Benjamin Netanyahu's ability to hold power