Israel's skilled-worker exodus adds another stake to its election

A Japanese election special examines why some Israelis are considering leaving, alongside Netanyahu's durable support and the obstacles to replacing him.

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JapanStory of October 28, 2026Trari Newsroom

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イスラエル総選挙国民の選択は窮地？ネタニヤフ氏中道野党が躍進か【10月27日(火) #報道1930】

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14:15Kazuto Suzuki argues that trust in Netanyahu and security leadership matter more than policy differences in this election.
20:08A political timeline explains repeated elections and Netanyahu's survival through coalition breakdowns.
34:22Jerusalem market interviews connect enduring Netanyahu support with historical inequalities and Mizrahi grievances.
43:38The panel examines how reluctance to partner with Arab-majority parties could prevent a governing majority.
51:56Israelis considering emigration describe war fatigue and social tensions, with Greece and Cyprus among possible destinations.
54:21Economist Esteban Klor warns that skilled-worker departures threaten the country's technology sector and economic foundations.

For Israelis considering a move abroad, the election raises a question beyond who becomes prime minister: whether they still see a future at home.

That concern closes an extended election special from Japan's TBS NEWS DIG Powered by JNN, the Japan News Network. Its BS-TBS program, Hodo 1930, follows political divisions from coalition negotiations to households weighing emigration after prolonged war and social tension.

Jerusalem-based video producer Matan Gladshtein describes exhaustion with living amid war and is considering leaving. The report identifies Greece and Cyprus as possible destinations for emigrants and describes resentment over preferential treatment for ultra-Orthodox communities. Hebrew University economist Esteban Klor warns that losing highly skilled workers, particularly from technology industries, threatens Israel's economic foundations.

The program connects those decisions to an election it presents as a judgment on Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership after the Hamas-led attacks of October 2023. His principal challenger, Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot, is a former military chief of staff. University of Tokyo international politics professor Kazuto Suzuki argues that the central question is confidence in Netanyahu and who is better equipped to provide security, rather than a sharply defined policy contest.

Campaign footage contrasts Eisenkot's appeals for a change of government with Netanyahu's emphasis on confronting Iran and an endorsement from US President Donald Trump. Reporting from a Tel Aviv polling station, correspondent Satoshi Masuo describes unusually high early turnout.

The broadcast's seat forecasts leave both main blocs short of a majority. Suzuki and fellow commentator Shinsuke Tsutsumi examine Netanyahu's record of surviving fragmented parliaments through bargaining and alliances. Journalist Taichi Soga recalls the failed power-sharing arrangement with Benny Gantz in 2020, arguing that Netanyahu used the budget impasse to bring about another election.

But arithmetic alone does not explain his support. Interviews in a Jerusalem market explore loyalty among Mizrahi Jews, whose family origins lie in the Middle East and North Africa. The report links that loyalty to historical inequalities and grievances, while also examining controversy over a pro-Netanyahu television host's derogatory remarks about Eisenkot's Moroccan background.

Arab-majority parties could hold the balance, the panel says, but resistance to governing alongside them could obstruct a coalition and produce another election. Soga also raises the possibility that renewed tension with Iran could give Netanyahu an argument for a unity government. The closing emigration report shows the personal decisions unfolding alongside that political uncertainty.

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