Israel heads to the polls as shift to the right dominates critical election

Israel is heading to the polls on Tuesday in a closely contested election that is being described as one of the most important in its history.The vote is the first since the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023 and the subsequent genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza, as well as a wider conflict that has seen Israel carry out attacks on Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Qatar.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Benny Gantz drops out of Israel’s election racelist 2 of 4Netanyahu’s new security doctrine: Regional strategy or election ploy?list 3 of 4How Israel’s 2026 election workslist 4 of 4Netanyahu says he discussed ‘eliminating’ Iran’s regime with Trumpend of listBenjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is seeking to extend his tenure after leading the country’s most right-wing governing coalition which brought together far-right ultranationalists and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties.Wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes in Gaza and faced with a long-running corruption trial, he is fighting for his political survival against a self-styled Zionist opposition bloc that has fundamentally embraced a right-wing approach to Isr...