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MembersWhat do Israeli voters care about most? Three issues emerge as top of mind

Security remains central to the election, but voters on the right and left differ over the threats facing Israel and how best to address them.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a reception marking the opening of the Colombian embassy in Jerusalem, held at the Foreign Ministry in the capital, Oct. 14, 2026. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a reception marking the opening of the Colombian embassy in Jerusalem, held at the Foreign Ministry in the capital, Oct. 14, 2026. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.

(JNS) Security, economy and societal issues are the key topics preoccupying Israeli voters. What this means specifically depends on whom one asks as “security” means different things to different Israelis. Observers told JNS that the specific issues include Iran and the current war, haredi enlistment, and the economy.

“For probably the last 60 years or so, the top issue defining right and left in Israel is security, especially during the past three years with a lot of conflicts still open and active,” Liron Lavi, assistant professor at the department of political studies at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, told JNS.

Voters across the political spectrum are concerned about security, but their priorities differ, she said. Right-wing voters tend to focus on the Iran threat and the need to prevent the Islamic Republic from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed the Iran issue front and center in the campaign’s final stretch, posting to his social media accounts an AI-generated image of Tel Aviv hit by a nuclear bomb.

Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the...

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