Israel election: Disenchanted Netanyahu voters could decide tight race

Israel's election on Tuesday will be the first since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack, with polls predicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition will lose its majority. His main rival, centrist Gadi Eisenkot, also lacks a clear path to power, making the race tight. In Dimona, a Likud stronghold, disenchanted voters are campaigning for Eisenkot, whose party is neck-and-neck with Likud. Only 55% of 2022 Likud voters plan to vote for the party again, with 15% backing anti-Netanyahu parties and 14% choosing alternative right-wing options. Eisenkot, a Mizrahi of Moroccan descent and former military chief, appeals to Likud's traditional electorate, though Netanyahu retains a hard core of supporters. Some 13% of voters remain undecided, and Netanyahu's long tenure has led some longtime supporters to seek change.