D-Day for Netanyahu as Israel goes to the polls: 70,000 expat voters could kick out Bibi in election today
By NATALIE LISBONA MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT and ELIANA SILVER, SENIOR FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER
Published: | Updated:
Benjamin Netanyahu's political future hangs in the balance as Israel goes to the polls today in a defining vote for the Middle East.
The Israeli Prime Minister narrowly trails his main rival, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, ahead of the country's first election since the October 7 massacre.
The deadliest day in Israel's history has featured prominently in the campaign - and the vote is widely seen as a referendum on the catastrophic security failure.
Voters heading to the polls will pass the faces of fallen soldiers peering from stickers on train station walls and faded yellow ribbons honouring the hostages, the last of whom were returned in a ceasefire deal last year.
Mr Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, has sought to shift blame for the failures surrounding October 7 to security officials, while touting Israel's military achievements against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and their patron, Iran.
Yesterday, Donald Trump doubled down on his support for Mr Netanyahu despite relations between the pair having been strained by the war on Iran.
The US President urged Israelis to vote for the Israeli PM so the pair could 'finish the job' in Iran.
Benjamin Netanyahu's political future hangs in the balance as Israel goes to the polls today
In the Truth Social post, Mr Trump added: 'When you go to the Polls please remember that Bibi has been an outstanding warrior prime minister!'
He said: 'Israel was called the little satan, with the United States being called the big satan, by some very evil people.
'There can no longer be the chant heard around the world of 'Death to America, death to Israel,' and there won't be.'
Mr Netanyahu has made the confrontation with the regime in Tehran a key part of his campaign, pledging to work with Trump to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat.
But former IDF chief Eisenkot has accused him of playing up the Iran threat when it suits him politically, and of failing to accomplish his war goals.
Mr Netanyahu's fate could be sealed by an estimated 70,000 Israeli expats who are flying back to the country to cast their vote, with many expected to back his opponent.
Among those who have returned is Hannah, a businesswoman from North West London who lived in Israel for 11 years and is determined to see a change of leadership.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, she said: 'This election is existential for the soul and future of Israel. I felt so strongly about its importance that I made a special trip back to Israel to cast my vote.
'I will be voting for Gadi Eisenkot because I believe our country desperately needs clear, strong and ethical leadership — leadership that can restore trust, bring people together and heal the divisions that Benjamin Netanyahu has failed to bridge.
'If Itamar Ben-Gvir and the extreme right continue to hold positions of power in the Israeli government, I fear Israel will become a country whose values no longer reflect those I believe in and identify with.'
Leader of the Yashar party Gadi Eisenkot addresses his supporters during the final campaign rally
Israelis abroad cannot generally vote by post, proxy or at their local embassy. With limited exceptions they must return to Israel in person to cast their ballots. The AID Coalition, a US-based non-profit, estimates that up to 67,000 Israelis are returning to vote, about half from the US and the rest from Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
For many expatriates, the importance of this election outweighs the cost and inconvenience of returning home to vote.
The latest polling by Israeli broadcasters placed Mr Eisenkot's Yashar party a few seats ahead of Netanyahu's Likud.
But securing the largest number of seats would not, by itself, guarantee victory. The election is likely to be followed by complicated coalition negotiations, with any prospective government needing the support of at least 61 members of the 120-seat Knesset.
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