Netanyahu faces close election as West Bank tensions rise

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 19:44 · Archive

Israeli forces shot dead two attackers at a Hebron checkpoint as the country prepares for parliamentary elections on 27 October.

Israeli forces shot dead two attackers at a Hebron checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, with as many as five Israeli soldiers wounded in the incident. The shooting comes days before a parliamentary election on 27 October, amid escalating regional violence following the October 7 Hamas attacks launched from Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing his most closely contested election in years. Current polling shows him in a tight race with Gadi Eisenkot, a former head of the Israel Defense Forces, to become prime minister. Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister with 18 years of service across three separate periods, has seen his popularity decline significantly since October 7. Security dominates the polling, with Netanyahu's challengers critical of security failures that preceded the Hamas attacks.

The Israeli army is considering closing off the West Bank following the Hebron incident. However, Yedioth Ahronoth Senior Journalist Ben-Dror Yemini, quoted by France 24, suggested that such military escalation would not provide Netanyahu with a meaningful political advantage, stating that 'politically it's not something that will help anybody'. Yemini noted that although Netanyahu's personal standing has weakened, electoral outcomes depend on whether his political bloc can command a governing majority in parliament.

How it is being reported

• Netanyahu weighs West Bank operation ahead of elections: ‘Politically, it will not help anybody’As Israel approaches a consequential parliamentary election amid renewed violence in the occupied West Bank, Yedioth Ahronoth Senior Journalist Ben-Dror Yemini offers a critical assessment of Benjamin Netanyahu's political prospects, the limits of military escalation and the shifting relationship between national security and electoral legitimacy. Since October 7, 2023 "Netanyahu is not popular anymore," Yemini argues, identifying the Hamas-led attacks as a decisive turning point in the Israeli prime minister's public standing.France 24 · 23 Oct, 19:26
• 'Middle East tension is soaring in the run-up to Netanyahu's fight for his political life'Opinion: Netanyahu's threat to close off the West bank comes days before he fights for his political life in Israel's tense election race - which will set off weeks of nail-biting negotiationsThe Mirror · 23 Oct, 12:59

In this story: Benjamin Netanyahu · Israel · West Bank · Gadi Eisenkot · Hamas · Gaza · Hebron

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