Israelis, however, vote not for individuals but for parties, which then form alliances to create a majority coalition. No single party has ever won a majority in parliament, known as the Knesset.
After polls the closed late Tuesday, the jostling for power was likely to begin — between parties small and big — to achieve a governing coalition and name the next prime minister.
Although it could be weeks or even months before a new prime minister is named, here are some key points we know as Israelis go to the polls.
The enduring impact of the Oct. 7 attacks is reflected in the election
This election is held against the background of the enduring trauma of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, when the Islamic terrorists murdered 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 others, and the ensuing wars in Gaza and beyond.
Around 68% of Jewish Israelis say their attitudes toward Oct. 7 are a central factor in deciding which party to support, according to the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank.
As the country remains on a war footing amid tenuous ceasefires, about a quarter of Jewish voters polled by the Israel Democracy Institute ranked mandatory military service as a key factor in deciding which party to support.
Netanyahu’s governing coalitions have long relied on ultra-Orthdox parties that demand exemptions from military conscription for young men engaged in religious studies.
Netanyahu rival Eisenkot — who lost his son and two nephews to combat in Gaza — has vowed to end the de facto exemptions.
These are the main party leaders in contention
Over three dozen parties are competing in the election, and roughly one dozen are expected to win enough seats to enter parliament.
Netanyahu, 77, leads the nationalistic Likud, Israel’s largest party.
Eisenkot, 66, spent four decades rising through the ranks of Israel’s military. He now leads the largest opposition party — the centrist Yashar — after entering politics in 2022.
Other leading candidates include Naftali Bennett, a 54-year-old former prime minister and onetime aide to Netanyahu who has formed a joint ticket with his centrist partner, Yair Lapid.
