Overview
- The Knesset voted to dissolve itself in the night session that reached press on July 17, 2026, formally ending the 25th parliament and setting legislative elections for October 27.
- In the legislature’s final hours the governing coalition approved measures that cut powers from the attorney general, expanded government oversight of the media and passed other socially divisive changes.
- Lawmakers also froze arrests for ultra‑Orthodox draft refusers while extending mandatory male military service to 32 months, making conscription a flashpoint for voters who serve in the reserves and families of soldiers.
- Benjamin Netanyahu, 76, announced his bid for another term despite slipping poll support and an ongoing corruption trial, and faces rivals led by former chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot plus a Lapid‑Bennett alignment.
- The final session caps a turbulent four years of mass protests and a costly security crisis that have polarized society and will shape coalition bargaining, campaign narratives and voter turnout in October.