Israel is having its most important elections in history. How do they work?
It will be a crucial moment in world history, one that will have reverberations around the world. Here’s our guide to what you need to know ahead of the polls.
Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert says he heard it many times over his long political career that his nation was entering its most important elections ever. That was often hyperbole. This time, he says, it’s true. Like many Israelis, he believes the nation’s fundamental identity as a Jewish and democratic state is up for grabs when they vote on October 27. “The crisis we are in today is the most threatening to the nature of what Israel was and what Israel is supposed to be that we have seen,” he says.
Mark Sofer, a former Israeli ambassador to Australia, agrees: “These aren’t regular elections. From an Israeli point of view they are almost existential.”
Monumental events have occurred since Israelis last voted in 2022. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a bid to weaken the country’s Supreme Court that drew hundreds of thousands of protesters to the streets. Then came the shock Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023, the deadliest day in Israel’s history and its worst security failure, when more than 1200 people were killed.
That was followed by Israel’s wars against Hamas in Gaza (which has killed an estimated 75,000 people), Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the theocratic regime in Iran. Israel’s international standing has plummeted, including in traditionally friendly countries like Australia and the United States, the nation’s most important security partner. Netanyahu – who has led Israel for most of the past 20 years and has been indicted on corruption charges – is desperately trying to remain in power.
His opponents are determined to consign him to history and start what they say will be a new era in Israeli politics.
One of the reasons Netanyahu has been able to remain in power for so long is his mastery of the quirks of Israel’s particular electoral system, which is significantly different to Australia’s.
The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age will be on-the-ground in Israel to cover this crucial moment in world history, one that will have reverberations around the world. Here’s our guide to how the election will work.
