How the War on Gaza is Driving Israel's Right-Wing Shift Ahead of the Election

As Israel entered the final month before its October 27 election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a chilling warning regarding plots by the country's enemies. Without evidence, he linked ongoing military actions in the Gaza Strip—where over 100 "terrorists" were reportedly killed—to national security and the upcoming vote. Analysts note this connection is central to his re-election campaign, even as past failures and delays in securing captives offer ammunition to opponents. Capitalizing on unrelated incidents like a cockpit altercation on a Flydubai flight, Netanyahu continues to position himself as the necessary leader for Israel's top job.

Opinion polls indicate a challenging race in this first general vote since the October 7, 2023 attacks, which claimed 1,139 lives in Israel and sparked a devastating war in Gaza that has left over 74,000 Palestinians dead. The conflict has deeply influenced domestic debates and accelerated a significant political shift to the right, normalizing formerly fringe perspectives. Far-right figures like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir have increasingly dominated political discourse, with Smotrich advocating for aggressive military campaigns in the West Bank mirroring Gaza, and electoral ally Moshe Feiglin calling for the annexation of the besieged territory.

Experts observe that the broader political spectrum reflects a growing consensus on maintaining military pressure, with little space left for discussions of Palestinian rights or a two-state solution. While Israeli society exhibits war-fatigue and thousands of soldiers face psychological trauma, public support for military solutions remains robust, driven by a deep-seated fear of security threats and a lack of viable political alternatives to Netanyahu.