Israel will hold parliamentary elections on Tuesday (October 27, 2026), with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking to retain power amid debate over the government’s handling of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, the subsequent wars and its domestic and foreign policies.
To enter the Knesset, a party must cross the 3.25% electoral threshold, a requirement that often prompts pre-election alliances and mergers. The candidate must secure the support of at least 61 lawmakers to form a government. Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing Likud party, has served as Israel’s Prime Minister for nearly 19 years across three separate periods since 1996.
The election is widely seen as a test of Mr. Netanyahu’s leadership, as Opposition leaders, including former military chief Gadi Eisenkot and former prime minister Naftali Bennett, seek to challenge his right-wing coalition. Voters do not elect individual members of parliament; instead, they vote for closed party lists. This system allows numerous political parties to compete for seats in the legislature. After the election, the President consults political factions and appoints a lawmaker to form a government. Mr. Mr. Eisenkot has positioned himself as an alternative on governance while maintaining a hard line on security. His party has performed strongly in some opinion polls, though the Opposition faces the challenge of assembling a viable coalition. Mr. Bennett, a former prime minister, is leading the B’Yachad electoral alliance, which includes former prime minister Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party. A right-wing politician who opposes Palestinian independence and supports Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Mr. Bennett has also criticised Mr. Netanyahu’s handling of security and governance.
