Israel general elections ballot papers prepared

What happened

• Israel's Central Elections Committee prepared ballot papers and logistics for the October 27 Knesset vote, with the committee chairman, Justice Noam Sohlberg, saying the system is secure and the vote cannot be stolen.
• Voting began early at Israeli diplomatic missions abroad, with roughly 101 polling stations opened for several thousand envoys, and the IDF set to open some 800-850 stations for soldiers from October 20, including beyond the border.
• The campaign has been dominated by responsibility for October 7: Netanyahu's former military secretary Avi Gil alleged records were altered in the Prime Minister's Office, and ex-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar filed a defamation suit listing warnings he says he passed to Netanyahu, which Likud and Netanyahu rejected.
• Polls repeatedly showed the two blocs close to deadlock, with Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar often leading Likud but neither camp clearly reaching 61 seats, and small parties hovering at the threshold.
• Nine days before the vote, US President Donald Trump published what he called his complete endorsement of Netanyahu, tying it to confronting Iran; Netanyahu welcomed it, and earlier Trump had said he trusts nobody in politics.

Why it matters

These are Israel's first national elections since the October 7 attack, and with both blocs stuck near a tie the outcome may hinge on turnout, small parties at the threshold, and post-election deals rather than on the headline polls.

Where coverage differs

• Israeli outlets covered the race largely through internal bloc mechanics — surplus-vote deals, threshold parties, turnout drives and coalition arithmetic — while international mainstream and North American outlets more often framed it as a referendum on Netanyahu and October 7.DW.com
• Right-leaning Israeli outlets gave prominence to Mandelblit's testimony in the corruption trial and to challenges to the October 7 accusations, whereas center and left-leaning Israeli titles led more on the alleged falsified records and Ronen Bar's lawsuit.
• Several international and left-leaning outlets led on Arab-led parties as potential kingmakers, a framing that appeared in Israeli coverage mainly through the Joint List's safety-net offer and the dispute over polling-station observers.Financial Times

What pro-Israel voices are saying

• Pro-Israel commentators amplified different sides of the campaign: one promoted an in-depth interview with the opposition frontrunner Eisenkot, another posted from a packed Ben Gvir event, showing the camp is not aligned behind one candidate.
• Other listed voices focused less on party choice and more on the October 7 reckoning and on how Europe views the vote.