Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu campaigns ahead of the elections.
\n\nIsraelis head to the polls on 27 October in an election that could end Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long grip on power. The vote will determine all 120 seats in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in the first general election since the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023. The attacks were followed by Israel's war on Gaza and a wider regional conflict that has seen Israeli strikes across several countries.
\n\nOpinion polls suggest Netanyahu's right-wing bloc is in a close contest with a Jewish-led opposition alliance. But even if his opponents emerge ahead, defeating Netanyahu at the ballot box will not necessarily mean removing him from office.
\n\nThe Hamas-led attacks killed nearly 1,200 people in Israel, while 251 people were taken hostage. The opposition has called for a full state commission of inquiry into the security failures surrounding the attacks.
\n\nNetanyahu, however, has campaigned as "Mr Security", pointing to Israel's military gains against Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and the Houthis.
\n\nWhether voters accept his argument that these gains demonstrate his ability to protect the country remains one of the biggest challenges facing the Likud leader.
\n\n2. The Ultra-Orthodox Military Draft
\n\nThe exemption of…
Original source: https://www.timesnownews.com/latest-news
