Overview
- A U.S. interim deal with Iran in mid‑June ended some Israeli operations and publicly exposed sharp disagreements between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump, damaging Netanyahu’s claim to superior security leadership.
- Multiple mid‑June polls show Likud and Netanyahu’s pro‑government bloc trailing or vulnerable, with several surveys projecting the anti‑Netanyahu opposition near a parliamentary majority.
- Gadi Eisenkot has surged in recent polls, strengthening his position inside the opposition and making a single merged ticket with Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid less likely.
- Arab parties are holding talks about electoral unity even as interviews show many Palestinian citizens of Israel feel disconnected from party politics, which could limit turnout and reduce the bloc’s potential gains.
- Netanyahu has confirmed he will run in an election that must be called by October, leaving a contest shaped by foreign policy fallout, fractured opposition bargaining, low Arab voter enthusiasm, and the Knesset’s earlier advance toward dissolution.