-Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to return to power in Tuesday's elections after nearly four years as prime minister. Netanyahu insists he has mobilized the international community against Iran's disputed nuclear program and brought economic stability despite global financial downturns. His opponents counter he has ignored the Palestinian conflict and estranged Israel from world powers, particularly its main ally, the U.S.

 

-Avigdor Lieberman, the former foreign minister and one of Israel's most divisive and ultranationalist politicians, is running on a joint list with Netanyahu's Likud. His Yisrael Beitenu party is expected to join the next government, but Lieberman's own future remains unclear.