Israel's Election: Key Issues and Candidate Stances on Palestinian Statehood, Haredi Draft, and Judicial Reform

As Israeli voters head to the polls for what is being described as one of the most significant elections in the nation's history, many issues that might be expected to create deep divisions among candidates are, in fact, areas of consensus among the frontrunners. Notably, none of the leading contenders have questioned the military actions in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, nor the subsequent conflict with Iran. Furthermore, a clear path toward implementing the two-state solution envisioned in the 1990s, or achieving an equitable settlement with the Palestinians in occupied territories, has not been offered by most candidates for premiership. Instead, the primary divisions revolve around Israel's internal politics and the future character of the country. The choice lies between the incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right government, which has sought to reduce judicial oversight, and the alternative presented by his opponents' diverse coalition, which promises a similar policy agenda but within legal frameworks and without the more extreme elements of the current administration.

The Two-State Solution

Despite commitments made in the 1990s Oslo Accords to work towards a two-state solution, and allies adjusting policies accordingly, few candidates in the upcoming election appear poised to uphold this agreement. The current government faces widespread accusations of enabling settler violence in the West Bank and continuing construction in occupied territory, defying international law. The E1 settlement plan, openly acknowledged by ministers as a move that would undermine the two-state solution, is a prime example. Here's what some contenders have stated:

• Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud): "We are going to fulfill our promise that there will be no Palestinian state; this place belongs to us."
• Gadi Eisenkot (Yashar): "My position on the Palestinian issue has remained consistent: The principle of two states for two peoples is a mistake."
• Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist party): "The next government should 'destroy the idea of an Arab terror state; finally, formally and practically cancel the cursed Oslo Accords and get on the path of sovereignty, while encouraging migration both from Gaza and from Judea and Samaria [occupied West Bank]. There is no other long-term solution.'"
• Yair Golan (The Democrats): "We need to understand that Israeli society is still in trauma from October 7. To make the galactic leap from the current situation to a two-state solution is impossible. It’s not enough to return to old formulas, we need to adjust our plans, our ideas, our perceptions. My concept is about civil separation and security responsibility."

Haredi Draft Exemption

The conscription of Israel's growing ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, population into the army is a uniquely Israeli issue that has gained prominence due to the human and economic costs of ongoing conflicts, in which many Haredim do not participate. Netanyahu has continued to depend on the support of the two main Haredi parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ), in the Knesset. These parties, in turn, have demanded that he pass legislation to overturn a Supreme Court ruling from June 25, 2024, providing Haredi youth with a legislative exemption from conscription. Here's what leaders have said:

• Benjamin Netanyahu: Following the arrest of approximately 40 Haredim for draft evasion, he stated, "We must preserve the world of Torah because it preserved us. These arrests are a deliberate attempt to harm the process of drafting Haredim without coercion."
• Aryeh Deri (Shas): "There will be no government in Israel with Shas’s support or participation unless the status of yeshiva [seminary] students is regulated."
• Gadi Eisenkot: "That is what the upcoming election is about: Netanyahu’s draft-dodging government, or a government of conscription led by me."
• Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beiteinu): "Netanyahu is issuing an impassioned call against the arrest of draft evaders, once again proving that he is a hostage to the draft evaders – without them, he has no government."

Judicial Overhaul

Shortly after taking office in 2022, Netanyahu's government introduced a plan to curtail the powers of Israel's courts. This initiative sparked months of widespread protests in 2023, which were paused by the war on Gaza. The coalition has since enacted measures to alter judicial appointments, and in July, a law significantly reduced the powers of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, allowing the government to disregard her legal counsel and select its own lawyers. These changes are set to take effect after the election, with most opposition parties pledging to reverse them. Critics argue this is a direct assault on democracy by a prime minister facing a corruption trial, while Justice Minister Yariv Levin views the election as a crucial opportunity to complete the reform. Here are some statements from contenders:

• Benjamin Netanyahu: "Democracy is the rule of the people. It’s ‘we the people,’ not ‘we the judges… In Israel, [judicial reform] was completely derailed, and we have to bring it back. We don’t have to crush the judiciary, but we have to make sure it doesn’t crush the legislative branch, the Knesset or the executive branch of government."
• Naftali Bennett (Together alliance): "I want to be clear. We will cancel all the legal revolution laws immediately upon the convening of the Knesset."

October 7 Inquiry

While the widespread casualties in Gaza have been largely absent from the election campaign of the two main alliances, questions regarding political accountability for security failures preceding and during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, have been central to this election cycle. Inquiries into the shortcomings of security services led to the resignation of Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in January 2025 and the departure of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar in June of the previous year. Despite reports indicating Netanyahu received warnings from the UAE and Egypt before the attack, and criticism of his policy of empowering Hamas as a counterweight to the Palestinian Authority, no similar inquiry into his alleged prior failings has occurred. Here are some leaders' perspectives:

• Gadi Eisenkot: "Netanyahu was warned and did not act. A State Commission of Inquiry that we will establish will investigate the disaster. The heads of the systems took responsibility and resigned long ago. We will not allow the master of evaders to escape the truth."
• Benjamin Netanyahu: The prime minister informed the Knesset that his government "wants to establish a commission of inquiry with as broad public support as possible" and not one that would be dismissed by "at least half the country." The proposed government-led inquiry has been deferred to the next session.