Israel will hold national elections on October 27, the first since the 2023 Hamas attacks. The vote is a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who seeks another term despite a corruption trial and low approval over security failures. His main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, is polling slightly ahead. Netanyahu's far-right coalition is rushing to pass controversial laws before the parliament's term ends.
October 27 election date
- ▪The October 27, 2026, election date is the last one legally permitted
- ▪Israel will hold national elections on October 27, 2026
- ▪The last time an Israeli election was held on its scheduled date was in 1988
- ▪Yossi Mekelberg of Chatham House described the upcoming election as the most consequential in Israel's history since its founding in 1948
- ▪Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 76, has confirmed he will run for re-election
Netanyahu corruption trial
- ▪If convicted on corruption charges, Benjamin Netanyahu could face up to 10 years in prison
- ▪Critics accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using his office to evade justice in his corruption trial
- ▪Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on trial for corruption charges
Hamas attacks aftermath
- ▪A Hebrew University poll found public support for Netanyahu's premiership fell from 40.5% in March to 29.4% in June
- ▪U.S. presidential hopeful Rahm Emanuel stated during a visit to Tel Aviv that Israel has become a "pariah"
- ▪A poll by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that over 92% of Israelis believe Iran won the recent Middle East war
- ▪The October 27 election will be Israel's first since the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023
- ▪The October 7, 2023 attacks, where Hamas killed nearly 1,200 people, were the deadliest day in Israel's history
- ▪Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security credentials were damaged by security failures related to the October 7 attacks
Coalition legislation push
- ▪Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition is rushing to pass several controversial laws before the current parliamentary session ends
- ▪The Torah study bill is seen as a step toward a military draft exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews, a key demand of coalition partners
Eisenkot opposition challenge
- ▪Gadi Eisenkot's son was killed in Gaza in December 2023, and two of his nephews were also killed in the war
- ▪A Kan News poll indicated Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party would win 24 Knesset seats, compared to 23 for Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party
- ▪Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, has emerged as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main rival
- ▪Gadi Eisenkot resigned from Netanyahu's war cabinet in June 2024, stating the government had "completely failed" in its Gaza objectives
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