Franco-Israeli voters face a tough choice in Israel's election

Israel's legislative elections on Tuesday will determine Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political future after 18 years in power, with 37 party lists competing for the 120-seat Knesset. Franco-Israeli voters, representing less than 3% of the electorate, face difficult choices in a fragmented political landscape. For voters like Jean-Maurice Cohen, a 68-year-old retiree who moved from France to Tel Aviv six months ago, Israeli politics differ sharply from French concerns, with security and military service dominating over environmental or economic issues. Alexandre Bensoussan, a 32-year-old lawyer and army reservist, describes a "terrible dilemma" between supporting candidates who might ally with Arab parties he distrusts versus prioritizing his conviction on mandatory military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews. The October 7 Hamas attack, which killed about 1,200 people in 2023, shapes voter priorities, with security concerns paramount for many Franco-Israelis. Rivka, a 34-year-old former Parisian, says her vote will be guided by "the security of the country," despite high living costs and ongoing regional threats.