Israelis head to the polls Tuesday in a closely contested parliamentary election that could end Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long rule or deepen the country’s political deadlock, with neither the right-wing coalition nor the opposition bloc projected to secure the 61 seats needed to form a government.
Voting Starts
Polling stations opened at 7 am local time (0500GMT) and are scheduled to close at 10 pm (2000GMT), according to Israeli Central Elections Committee.
More than 7.3 million Israelis and Palestinian Israelis are eligible to cast ballots to elect the 120-member Knesset.
A total of 12,018 polling stations and approximately 18,000 ballot boxes have been prepared nationwide, with around 100,000 election workers deployed.
Thirty-seven parties and electoral lists are competing in the elections, with at least 61 seats required to form a governing coalition.
The election is the first general vote since the October 7, 2023 attacks and Israeli wars on Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
Main Contenders
Final polls published by Israel’s main television broadcasters put former military chief Gadi Eisenkot’s (opposition) centrist Yashar party slightly ahead of Netanyahu’s Likud, projecting 22–23 seats for Yashar and 19–21 for Likud (current governing coalition). The B’Yachad alliance (opposition), led by former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, is forecast to finish third with 14–15 seats.
However, the polls indicate that Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc could win around 50 seats, compared with 52–56 for the opposition, while Palestinian-led parties are projected to secure a combined 14–16 seats. The results of smaller parties near the 3.25% electoral threshold could prove decisive.
Netanyahu, 77, is seeking another term after more than 18 years in office across three periods. His campaign has emphasized national security, but he faces criticism over the October 7 security failures, his handling of subsequent conflicts and his opposition to an independent state commission of inquiry. He is also standing trial on corruption charges, and faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
🗳️ Israeli opposition leaders urge massive voter turnout in Tuesday’s parliamentary elections to end Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rule 🗣️ Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman calls for end to ‘Netanyahu era,’ while Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot urges voters to back political change https://t.co/X1YzAJntxw
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) October 27, 2026
His potential partners include far-right figures Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, alongside the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties. The ultra-Orthodox parties face growing pressure over military-service exemptions as the army grapples with personnel shortages.
Eisenkot, 66, a former military chief who joined Netanyahu’s emergency government after October 7 before leaving over its handling of the Gaza war, has campaigned on accountability, political stability and restoring public confidence in state institutions. He supports an official inquiry into the security failures and ending broad military-service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men. However, he opposes Palestinian statehood under current conditions and has called for dismantling Hamas’s military capabilities and rule in Gaza.
Palestinian Parties “Kingmakers”
Palestinian-led parties could emerge as kingmakers if neither major bloc secures a majority. An Eisenkot-led government may need their support, but such an arrangement faces resistance from opposition figures, including Avigdor Lieberman, who has rejected joining a government dependent on those parties. Netanyahu has also sought to mobilize right-wing voters by warning against Palestinian-led parties influencing the next government.
If neither camp can assemble a majority, coalition negotiations could drag on, leaving Netanyahu as caretaker prime minister and potentially paving the way for another election. Although Israeli President Isaac Herzog will consult elected parties before assigning a lawmaker the task of forming a government, the outcome will ultimately depend on negotiations among parties with competing political and ideological priorities.
Source: Al-Manar English Website