Israelis vote on Tuesday, October 27, in the country's first national election since the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023. On Sunday, Donald Trump endorsed Benjamin Netanyahu, ending months of public silence on a race that is expected to be close.
To govern, a prime minister needs a coalition holding at least 61 of the Knesset's 120 seats.
What did Trump say?
In a post on Sunday, Trump called Netanyahu a "great warrior prime minister and an even greater partner for peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran."
If Israel chose a different leader, Trump said, America "will have to do this work ourselves," adding that he was "not inclined to do so." He also repeated a threat to "soon finish the job" against Iran "unless they change their ways rapidly," Euronews reported.
Netanyahu thanked him on X: "Together we will complete the mission!" Likud quickly released a 35-second video of the two men together.
The endorsement follows a rocky year between them. Trump criticised Israel's strike on an Iranian gas field early in this year's war with Iran, and Netanyahu rejected Trump's August plan for Gaza.
How does the election work?
| Election day | Tuesday, October 27 |
| Seats | 120, one nationwide constituency |
| System | Closed party lists, proportional representation |
| Threshold | 3.25% of the vote |
| Majority needed | 61 seats |
| Diplomatic voting | October 20 |
| Official results | Due November 4 |
Who is running?
Netanyahu's camp: Likud (Netanyahu), plus his current partners Shas (Aryeh Deri), United Torah Judaism, the Religious Zionist list (Bezalel Smotrich) and Otzma Yehudit (Itamar Ben-Gvir). Gideon Sa'ar's New Hope has agreed to merge into Likud.
The opposition: Together, a joint list led by Naftali Bennett with Yair Lapid; Blue and White (Benny Gantz); Yashar (Gadi Eisenkot); Yisrael Beiteinu (Avigdor Lieberman); The Democrats (Yair Golan); and the Arab parties Ra'am and the Joint List.
What is the campaign about?
- October 7 and Gaza. The opposition is hammering Netanyahu over his refusal to set up a state inquiry into the failures before the attack.
- Iran. Israel and the United States have been at war with Iran since February.
- The draft. Military exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men have repeatedly split Netanyahu's coalition.
- The courts. The government's judicial overhaul set off months of mass protests in 2023.
What is the new security doctrine?
On Sunday Netanyahu published a ten-point national security doctrine favouring preemptive strikes and buffer zones along Israel's borders, according to Anadolu Agency.
Lapid called it "superficial." Eisenkot, a former army chief, called it "empty pages filled with slogans" and promised an opposition government would approve a formal security strategy within 150 days.
What to watch
The threshold. Several small parties are hovering near 3.25%. Any that fall short lose all their votes, which can swing the bloc arithmetic.
Coalition talks. Israel's president will ask the leader with the best chance of reaching 61 to form a government. That can take weeks.
The West Bank. Violence by settlers has become a campaign issue after attacks on journalists and European diplomats. Read more.
