Israel's Election: Accountability for 7 October and Economic Crisis Dominate Campaign
Ahead of Israel’s general election scheduled for 27 October, voters will face a number of crucial issues that will determine the direction of the country’s future. The main focus of this campaign revolves around accountability for the failure to prevent Hamas’s attack on 7 October 2023, long-term security strategy, religious identity debates over military conscription, and mounting economic pressure.
Many Israeli citizens are demanding the establishment of an independent state commission of inquiry to investigate the intelligence and military failures that allowed the Hamas attack to take place. The deadliest attack in Israel’s history killed more than 1,200 people and left deep national trauma.
Opposition parties have made the establishment of this commission their top priority. Conversely, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government rejects the proposal, preferring a bipartisan commission whose members are appointed by politicians.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticised the government’s move as an attempt to wash its hands of responsibility for the greatest disaster to befall the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Netanyahu also faces intense scrutiny over his past policy of allowing Qatar to send hundreds of millions of dollars to Gaza, which critics say helped strengthen Hamas’s grip on power before the attack.
For decades, Israel’s security doctrine rested on strong intelligence, prevention, and short wars. However, after 7 October, this strategy changed entirely into a long-term military campaign on multiple fronts, including the Gaza Strip, southern Lebanon, Syria, and direct strikes on Iran and the Houthi group in Yemen.
This new doctrine has sparked debate over Israel’s ability to sustain military deployments on many fronts simultaneously. Tens of thousands of reservists have been mobilised repeatedly since 2023, at significant personal and economic cost. Ofer Shelah, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), noted in a podcast that Israel has changed from a society relying on prevention to one living ‘permanently by the sword’.
Internationally, Israel’s reputation has also come under strain. According to data from the health ministry in Gaza, the death toll has surpassed 73,000, whilst thousands more have died in Lebanon. Even Israel’s closest allies, such as the United States, have begun to voice sharp criticism, including a stern rebuke from Donald Trump over Israel’s military conduct in the conflict with Iran.
Shortages of military personnel have sharpened the debate over conscription exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews. Ultra-Orthodox parties, backed by Netanyahu’s Likud party, insist on maintaining this exemption so that religious students can continue studying the Torah.
On the other hand, the majority of the opposition demands the abolition of the exemption and refuses to join a government that includes ultra-Orthodox parties. This rift extends to the issue of national identity, as the governing coalition has recently introduced measures promoting gender segregation in public spaces, a policy that critics regard as an effort to strengthen religious influence over public life.
Although security issues dominate, economic problems remain a major concern for voters. Despite Israel’s GDP growing rapidly since 2000, Israelis still face one of the highest costs of living in the world, with a median wage below the OECD average.
Structural problems such as housing shortages and trade barriers have been exacerbated by the burden of war. Since 2023, Israel’s defence budget has doubled, placing enormous pressure on public finances. Voters must now weigh the balance between massive security spending and pressing domestic needs. (AFP)