7.3 Million Israeli Voters Choose Representatives Among 36 Electoral Lists

The 26th Knesset elections in Israel launched today, Tuesday, after voting began in more than 12,000 polling stations, in an election viewed as the most important in Israel's history, amidst a state of acute polarization within Israeli society.

7.33 million Israeli voters began casting their ballots in 12,018 polling stations to choose their representatives among 36 electoral lists. Opinion polls suggest that between 11 and 13 of these lists will cross the 3.25% electoral threshold, which will be distributed across the 120 seats that constitute the total number of Knesset seats.

The competing forces in this round are divided into three main camps, where each camp is not merely seeking to win the largest number of seats, but rather focuses on securing a bloc representing at least 61 seats to mandate the new prime minister.

The ruling right-wing coalition camp in Israel includes six lists, the largest being the Likud party led by Benjamin Netanyahu, the "Otzma Yehudit" party led by extremist Itamar Ben Gvir, and the "Shas" party representing Eastern Haredim.

It also includes the "Yahadut HaTorah" party representing Western Haredim, and the "Am Yisrael" party led by Ofer Winter, which is the only party within the ruling coalition hovering around the electoral threshold qualifying it for representation in the next Knesset. This camp also includes the "Religious Zionism" party led by Bezalel Smotrich, who is running in these elections as part of a unified list with the right-wing "Zehut" party.

The opposition camp against Netanyahu includes four main lists, the largest being the "Yesh Atid" list led by former Israeli Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, and the "Israel Beiteinu" party headed by Avigdor Lieberman.

It also includes two lists representing the "Together" alliance led by Naftali Bennett, in partnership with "Yesh Atid" leader Yair Lapid, and the "Democrats" list, which represents the traditional left in Israel following the merger of the "Meretz" and "Labor" parties.

The third camp in Israel includes the "Joint List," the largest list in this camp, comprising three Arab parties that decided to run together in a single list; the "United Arab List" led by Mansour Abbas; and the "Reservists and Economists" list formed after the union of two small parties, led by Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelikha.

Recent opinion poll results in Israel indicate a tie between the government and opposition camps, making competition fierce between the two sides and granting Arab parties an opportunity to influence the formation of the next government.