Israel heads to polls for pivotal election defined by security and democracy

Israelis are heading to the polls for what many view as one of the most pivotal elections in the country’s history.

An unprecedented 70,000 people have reportedly flown home from abroad to vote, while half a million are set to cast ballots for the first time.

Polling published on Friday suggests incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu is in a near neck-and-neck race with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot to become prime minister.

But neither of their political blocs are projected to win the 61 seats needed to form a majority government – meaning weeks or months of political wrangling may lie ahead.

Israel’s proportional representation system means governments have always been coalitions – and the race to power can, and has, produced unexpected alliances. But this election looks especially tight – and lines in the sand have already been drawn.

Eisenkot, who leads the newly formed Yashar Party, is the main figure in the so-called “change bloc”, a collection of parties who have ideological differences but share the goal of ousting Netanyahu.

Other leaders in the bloc include former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman – both right-wingers who take hardline positions on security – and Yair Golan, a left-leaning former general.

For Netanyahu, a titan of Israeli politics who first served as prime minister in 1996, a return to power will hinge on another alliance with the far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties that make up his current governing coalition – the most right-wing in Israel’s history.