Overview
- The Knesset confirmed on Sunday, July 12 that national elections will be held on October 27, 2026, and the current parliament is to complete its term with dissolution expected in mid‑July.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will run and is pitching a “broad national government,” while his Likud party is poised to vote on a plan to scrap direct primaries and reserve eight list seats for handpicked candidates.
- Recent polls show former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar challenging or marginally ahead of Likud and indicate neither the right‑aligned bloc nor the opposition can form a 61‑seat majority without smaller or Arab‑party support.
- Netanyahu’s governing coalition has weakened after United Torah Judaism’s exit and is racing to pass contentious bills on judicial reform and ultra‑Orthodox draft exemptions before the Knesset adjourns, heightening pre‑election instability.
- The campaign is set to center on national security, accountability for the October 7 failures, the future of Gaza, the ultra‑Orthodox draft and Netanyahu’s corruption and international legal troubles, which could reshape coalition math and Israel’s foreign ties.