// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
How do Israel's elections work and who are the main contenders?
Current polling suggests Gadi Eisenkot (left) is in a tight race with incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu (right) to become Israel's prime minister
Israel's general election takes place on Tuesday 27 October.
It's the first election since the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel and its subsequent conflicts in Gaza and with Iran, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
Many view it as one of the most pivotal elections in Israel's history, with global implications.
Current polling puts incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu in a tight race with Gadi Eisenkot, a former head of the Israel Defense Forces, to become prime minister.
Eisenkot's popularity stems partly from his military credentials and his relative newness in politics, having formed his Yashar Party only last year.
He lost his son, a soldier, in the first months of the Gaza war, and served in Israel's war cabinet under Netanyahu until resigning in 2024 over disagreements about the conflict. He has built his campaign on calls for accountability over the security failures that led to 7 October.
Other opposition leaders include former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman - both right-wingers who take hardline positions on security and advocate permanent Israeli control over much of the occupied West Bank - and Yair Golan, a left-winger who supports Israel's withdrawal from large parts of the territory. Despite their differences, they could work with Eisenkot to form a government.
Netanyahu's current government is the most right-wing in Israel's history. In order to remain in power, he will likely have to rely on the support of some of his existing far-right coalition partners. Some hold ultra-nationalist positions, such as calling for Israel to annex the West Bank and for the "migration" of Palestinians from Gaza - which could amount to the forced displacement of civilians. Some members of Netanyahu's own Likud party have also called for Palestinian "migration" from the territory.
There are two Arab party blocs in the running too, as about one-fifth of Israel's population is Arab - many of whom describe themselves as Palestinian citizens of Israel. In theory, they could prove kingmakers. But all but one of the leading Jewish parties have ruled out working with them.