Israel voted for Israel: Why Gaza wasn’t on the ballot

Israel’s October 27 election drew one of the highest voter turnouts in decades, but neither bloc won the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority. Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp came first with 53 seats, five more than the main opposition bloc, while Arab parties won a record 19 seats but were left on the sidelines of coalition negotiations. The vote took place amid protests over judicial reforms, Netanyahu’s corruption trial, and unresolved questions about failures preceding the October 7, 2023 attacks and the war in Gaza.