Israel’s Tightest Election Yet Drives 80,000 Diaspora Voters Home
Israel holds its first national election since 2022 on October 27, featuring an exceptionally tight race between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. With no bloc likely to secure a majority, up to 80,000 citizens living abroad are returning to vote, as the outcome could determine whether Israel forms a unity government, a far-right coalition, or faces further political paralysis. The vote is overshadowed by the ongoing Iran war, societal divisions over conscription and judicial reform, and deep trauma from the October 7, 2023 attacks.