Israel Election: Disenchanted Likud Voters in Dimona

In the desert town of Dimona, long a bastion of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, disenchanted residents are now knocking on doors for his chief rival.

They hope to end the veteran prime minister's rule in Tuesday's election.

The ballot is Israel's first since the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, which shook the country and drew it into conflict across Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

Likud's standing collapsed after that security breach, yet neither Netanyahu's coalition nor the centrist camp of Gadi Eisenkot holds a clear path to power.

With about one in eight voters still undecided, the race has tightened.

THE ELECTION AFTER OCTOBER 7

For months, opinion polls have predicted that Netanyahu's coalition of right-wing, far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties will lose its parliamentary majority.

Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff, has emerged as the main challenger through his Yashar party.

Still, the contest has narrowed as voting day approaches, and neither side can claim a decisive edge.

Dimona itself has become a battleground.

An Iranian missile wounded dozens there in March, a reminder that the regional war reaches deep into Israeli daily life.

Local politics now mirrors the national split: some residents demand change, while others defend Netanyahu as a cut above his rivals.

A Likud Stronghold In Play

Half of Dimona's voters backed Likud in the 2022 election, so winning them over is a steep task.

Long ago, the party built a loyal base among Mizrahi Jews of Middle Eastern and North African descent, who felt neglected by the European-influenced centre-left Labor Party that dominated Israel for generations.

Labor has since shrunk to a rump as Israeli politics shifted rightward, and several parties now court those same voters.

One former Likud voter, Oria Asaf, now supports Yashar.

She argues that change will come when people think about their children's future rather than their parents' past.

Her view captures the generational tension now cutting through traditional party loyalties.

The Battle For Wavering Likud Voters

Netanyahu retains a hard core of supporters who cannot be won over.

The real prize is undecided voters who, in the words of a local campaign leader, understand that Israel is in a state of crisis and are open to persuasion.

About thirteen percent of Israeli voters remain undecided, according to the Israel Democracy Institute.

The numbers reveal the scale of the opportunity.

Of those who voted Likud in 2022, only fifty-five percent now say they will back the party again.

Fifteen percent will support parties opposed to Netanyahu, including eight percent for Yashar.

Another fourteen percent will choose alternative right-wing parties, and nine percent are undecided.

Eisenkot'S Appeal And Netanyahu'S Counter

Eisenkot's personal story resonates with Likud's traditional electorate.

A child of Moroccan immigrants who rose to become military chief of staff, he carries both humble origins and peerless security credentials.

The loss of his son, killed in combat in Gaza in December 2023, has also struck a chord with voters.

Netanyahu has answered with his own show of strength.

At a July event in the Negev, he pointed to development funds that Likud governments have long directed to the region, framing his record as an act of love for the community.

A former Likud mayor of another small-town stronghold claims that party surveys show voters who had drifted away are now returning as the election nears.

Even some sympathetic to Netanyahu say it may be time for a change.

One Dimona software engineer, while crediting the prime minister with much that he has done for Israel, says he cannot support a leader nearing eighty.

That sentiment, repeated across the country, is what makes this election unusually open.

Geopolitical Stakes Beyond The Ballot

The election is not only a domestic contest.

Israel remains at war in Gaza and faces continued tension with Iran and Lebanon.

The outcome will shape how Israel manages these fronts, its alliances and its deterrence posture.

A change in leadership could alter diplomatic calculations in a region already in turmoil, while continuity would signal that voters prioritise experience over renewal during wartime.

Either way, the result will echo well beyond Dimona.

It will test whether a long-dominant party can hold its base when security failures and prolonged conflict have eroded public trust.

This reading builds on reporting by Emily Rose and Maayan Lubell for Reuters, published 25 October 2026, with additional reporting by Tamar Uriel-Beeri in Jerusalem. See the original Reuters article.