Israel Votes Today: Netanyahu Fights for Survival as Eisenkot Leads Final Polls

Israelis headed to the polls on Tuesday, October 27, to elect the 120 members of the 26th Knesset, in an election that could end the long rule of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. About 7.3 million voters are registered, and the race pits Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, against former army chief Gadi Eisenkot and his new centrist Yashar party. Security policy, the aftermath of the war, and the cost of living have dominated a tense campaign.
The final polls published before election day all pointed the same way: Eisenkot's Yashar is set to be the largest single party, with around 22 seats against about 20 for Netanyahu's Likud, while Naftali Bennett's B'Yachad list sits third on roughly 14. But neither camp looks close to the 61 seats needed to govern alone, with the opposition bloc projected at 52 to 56 seats and Netanyahu's bloc at about 50. Turnout started strongly, with more than 1.2 million votes cast in the first three hours, a rate of 16.68 percent.
Election day itself was not calm. Netanyahu accused Arab parties of trying to steal the election, claiming three officials were caught with envelopes of cash, but electoral authorities said the people involved had not reached polling stations and an investigation was under way. Eisenkot, visiting Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, told supporters he was convinced the day would bring change and a new spirit for the country. With no bloc near a majority, long coalition talks are expected whoever finishes first.
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