74,000 Dead: The Number Missing From Israel's Election Platforms

More than 74,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, yet that toll does not appear in the election platforms of the two main alliances. Israel heads to the polls on Tuesday to determine whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will remain in power, a decision that will shape the country's domestic structure more than its foreign policy. The frontrunners share a near total consensus on the war. None of the leading candidates has challenged the military campaign launched after the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, or the subsequent conflict with Iran. Most have also failed to outline a clear path toward a two state solution or a settlement for Palestinians under occupation.

The primary division is internal. Voters are choosing between Netanyahu's hard right government and a loose coalition of opponents. The opposition promises a similar policy agenda but intends to govern within the law, excluding the more extreme elements of the current cabinet. On the question of a Palestinian state, most contenders have moved away from the Oslo Accords of the 1990s. The government is widely accused of backing settler attacks and construction in the West Bank. This includes the E1 settlement plan, which ministers say will end the two state idea. Netanyahu has declared there will be no Palestinian state. Gadi Eisenkot of the Yashar party called the two state principle a mistake. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged the next government to cancel the Oslo Accords and pursue sovereignty.

Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party, stated that a leap to two states is impossible while Israeli society remains in trauma. He pointed instead to civil separation and security responsibility. Conscription of the growing ultra Orthodox population is a distinct Israeli issue. Its prominence has grown as the economic and human costs of the wars have mounted. Netanyahu depends on Shas and United Torah Judaism for support in the Knesset. These parties have demanded legislation overturning the Supreme Court ruling of June 25, 2024, which shields ultra Orthodox youth from the draft.

After roughly 40 Haredim were arrested this month for avoiding conscription, Netanyahu described the arrests as a deliberate attempt to harm the drafting process. Shas leader Aryeh Deri said his party would not join any government unless the status of yeshiva students is regulated. Eisenkot framed the vote as a choice between a draft dodging government and one led by him. Avigdor Liberman, leader of Yisrael Beiteinu, called Netanyahu a hostage to draft evaders. The judicial overhaul remains a major flashpoint. The government unveiled a plan to curb the courts in 2022, triggering mass protests in 2023 that were interrupted by the war in Gaza.

The coalition has passed measures changing how judges are appointed. In July, a law stripped Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara of many powers, allowing the government to reject her legal advice. These measures take effect after the election, and the opposition has vowed to reverse them. The government has also boycotted Chief Justice Isaac Amit. Critics view this as an assault on democracy by a prime minister facing a corruption trial. Justice Minister Yariv Levin calls the election a historic chance to finish the job. Netanyahu argues that Israel needs the people, not the judges, and that the judiciary must not crush the Knesset or the executive. Naftali Bennett, co leader of the Together alliance, pledged to cancel all legal revolution laws as soon as the Knesset convenes.

Accountability for the October 7 attack has dominated the campaign. Inquiries into security failures led Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to resign in January 2025. A dispute with the prime minister ended with Shin Bet head Ronen Bar leaving in June of last year. No comparable inquiry has examined Netanyahu's role, despite reports that the UAE and Egypt warned him before the attack. Eisenkot said Netanyahu was warned and did not act, and promised a State Commission of Inquiry. Netanyahu told the Knesset his government wants an inquiry with as broad public support as possible. The proposed government led inquiry never reached its final reading and has been deferred to the next session.