Main contenders facing off in Israeli election

The election could reshape the country’s political landscape, but neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s allies nor the opposition has a clear path to a governing majority, most polls suggest

Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel’s longest-serving prime minister; leads Likud party

Has held power by allying with ultra-Orthodox and far-right parties

Faces ICC arrest warrant over alleged war crimes

Also faces trial on corruption charges, which he denies

Gadi Eisenkot

Former IDF chief of staff (2015-19); founded Yashar in 2025, leads most polls

Quit Netanyahu’s war cabinet in 2024, citing lack of Gaza strategy

Hawkish on security; campaigns for state inquiry into Oct 7 failures

Eisenkot lost his soldier son in first months of Gaza war

Bezalel Smotrich
Ultranationalist finance minister; leads Religious Zionist party, which is running on joint ticket with far-right Zehut, led by Moshe Feiglin

Itamar Ben-Gvir
National security minister, convicted in 2007 of incitement to racism against Arabs; leads ultranationalist Jewish Power party; influential figure in Netanyahu’s coalition

Naftali Bennett
Former prime minister (2021-22); co-leads centre-right Together list with fellow former prime minister Yair Lapid

Mansour Abbas
Knesset member; leads Islamist Ra’am party, which hopes to win enough seats to hold balance of power


Yair Golan
Former IDF deputy chief; leads left-wing Democrats; unlike Jewish opposition allies, openly backs Arab parties joining coalition to oust Netanyahu

Sources: CFR, AP, FT
Pictures: Getty Images, Yahav Studio, Knesset Archives
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