2026 Israeli legislative election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Legislative elections are scheduled to be held in Israel by 27 October 2026 to elect the 120 members of the twenty-sixth Knesset.[2]
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By 27 October 2026
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All 120 seats in the Knesset 61 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Background
After the 36th government lost its majority, snap elections were called in 2022. They resulted in the Netanyahu bloc gaining a majority,[3] and a government was successfully negotiated between Likud, Otzma Yehudit, Noam, Religious Zionist Party, United Torah Judaism, and Shas. The coalition was sworn in on 29 December 2022.[4][5]
With this new government, Netanyahu returned to the premiership, having previously been out of office since the anti-Netanyahu bloc won a majority in the 2021 election and formed a government without Netanyahu's Likud. Five members of the National Unity party (Benny Gantz, Gadi Eizenkot, Gideon Sa'ar, Hili Tropper, and Yifat Shasha-Biton) joined an emergency wartime government in October 2023 following the outbreak of the Gaza war. Gantz and Eizenkot also joined the Israeli war cabinet.[6]
Coalition composition
On 25 March 2024, Sa'ar announced that New Hope had resigned from the government.[7] In September 2024, New Hope rejoined the government.[8]
On 9 June 2024, National Unity, led by Benny Gantz, left the unity government that was formed following the outbreak of the Gaza war.[9]
On 19 January 2025, Otzma Yehudit announced that it would leave the government because of a Gaza ceasefire agreement.[10] The resignations went into effect two days later.[11] Party members rejoined the government following the collapse of the ceasefire agreement in March.[12]
On 13 March 2025, it was announced that Gideon Sa'ar had agreed to dissolve his New Hope faction and merge into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud.[13] The Likud-New Hope agreement was approved by Likud's central committee in August 2025; the party was expected to vote on an August 2021 resolution barring members of New Hope from serving in Likud.[14]
On 24 March 2025, Avi Maoz of the Noam party left the coalition government.[15]
On 14 July 2025, the two factions of United Torah Judaism, Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael, both announced that they would be leaving the government after dissatisfaction with a proposed bill on Haredi conscription by Yuli Edelstein.[16][17] The resignations will leave Netanyahu's government with a 60-seat majority in the Knesset.[18]
On 16 July 2025, the religious council for Shas, called the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah, instructed the party to leave the government but remain in the coalition.[19] Following a series of cabinet resignations from the party, some of the resigned ministers returned to the Knesset.[20][21]
Formation of anti-Netanyahu parties
In April 2025, Naftali Bennett registered a new party called Bennett 2026,[22] and publicly announced that he would contest the 2026 election the following November.[23]
On 30 June 2025, Gadi Eisenkot announced that he would resign from the Knesset and would not participate in the next election on behalf of Benny Gantz's National Unity, over differences on how to hold a leadership election for the party.[24] Eisenkot could join Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid and may take over the leadership of the party from Lapid,[25] join Naftali Bennett's Bennett 2026 party, or run independently with a new party.[26] A source confirmed that Eisenkot and Lapid were in contact, but denied that there was a potential agreement.[27] He announced the formation of Yashar! with Eisenkot on 16 September 2025.[28] On 1 July, Matan Kahana announced that he would resign his seat,[25] and he later joined Eisenkot in the founding of Yashar.[28]
On 15 August 2025, former minister and MK Yoaz Hendel founded The Reservists Party.[29] It was announced on 18 September that the party had registered to run in the next election.[30]
Opposition unity
On 27 August 2025, Avigdor Lieberman, the head of Yisrael Beiteinu, sent a letter to Lapid calling for a meeting with Eisenkot and Bennett to discuss a potential government following a new election.[31] Gantz and The Democrats leader Golan were notably excluded by Lieberman.[32] Lieberman and Bennett met the same day and discussed the Gaza war, hostage deal negotiations, and the "Israeli economy."[33] Eisenkot and Lieberman met on 4 September and discussed "coordination" among Zionist parties on forming a new government, while Bennett met with Eisenkot on 7 September and talked about "creating a new leadership."[34] Eisenkot also met with Lapid that same day.[35] Lieberman remarked on 20 September that he would be unwilling to sit with Likud or Ra'am in a government.[36] A meeting held that same night included Lapid, Eisenkot, Lieberman and Golan. Bennett was unavailable as he was observing Yahrzeit, while Gantz did not attend because of a "scheduling conflict". The attendees agreed to form a professional body in the future which would focus on the creation of a "national constitution", pursuing "universal military conscription" and "preserving the character of the State of Israel as a Jewish, democratic and Zionist state."[37]
In January 2026, Eisenkot's office confirmed a report by Channel 12 that he proposed a joint slate between his party, Bennett's and Yesh Atid.[38] Several months later, Eisenkot opposed Bennett's proposal to merge their parties.[39]
Lieberman sent a letter to Lapid, Golan, Eisenkot and Bennett in January, laying out principles for a new government, focusing on conscripting the Ultra-Orthodox into the IDF.[40]
In February 2026, Ayelet Shaked, who served as justice minister in the thirty-fourth government of Israel, suggested in an interview with Hevrat HaHadashot that Bennett and Lieberman "join forces".[41]
On 26 April 2026, Bennett 2026 and Yesh Atid announced their intention to contest the election jointly in an alliance named Together.[42][43]
Arab parties
In March 2025, Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas indicated in March 2025 that he intended to run for the next Knesset election, but would not participate in the following election.[44]
On 5 January 2026, Ra'am announced that it would invite Jews to join its list, which was historically only open to Arabs.[45]
On 22 January 2026, the four parties that made up the Joint List in 2020 (Ra'am, Hadash, Ta'al and Balad) made a preliminary agreement to revive the alliance and run together.[46] The parties have not yet reached an agreement, as of April 2026.[47]
Electoral system
The 120 seats in the Knesset are elected by closed list proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency. The electoral threshold for the election is 3.25%.[48] Two parties can sign a surplus vote agreement that allows them to compete for leftover seats as if they were running together on the same list. The Bader–Ofer method slightly favours larger lists, meaning that alliances are more likely to receive leftover seats than parties would be individually. If the alliance receives leftover seats, the Bader–Ofer calculation is applied privately, to determine how the seats are divided among the two allied lists.[49]
Timing
Per sections 8 and 9 of the Israeli quasi-constitutional Basic Law: Knesset, an election will typically be called approximately 4 years after the previous election, on the first or third Tuesday of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan, depending on whether or not the previous year was a Jewish Leap Year. An election can happen earlier if the government falls and the Knesset is dissolved, or later if the Knesset's term is extended by a supermajority vote. Per section 36 if the previous Knesset was dissolved earlier than the expiration of its full term then the next election shall be held the next month of Cheshvan after 4 years of a current Knesset's term have been completed (from 1970 all except in 1988 had been early elections). Since the 2022 elections were held in Cheshvan a question was raised as to once 4 years from the last elections are completed whether the "next Cheshvan" will be in 2027 or 2026. The Israeli Supreme Court decided that it is in 2026; the next election was scheduled to be held no later than 27 October 2026.[2]
After the October 7 attacks and the ensuing Gaza war, some have called for the resignation of Netanyahu,[50][51] with polls suggesting that more than 75% of Israelis believe he should step down.[52][53] There have also been calls for a snap election once the war is over. Minister of Labor Yoav Ben-Tzur said that an election should occur within 90 days of the end of the war,[54] although he later walked those statements back.[55] Polling suggests that 64% of Israelis believe that an election should happen as soon as the war is over.[53] In late 2025, Netanyahu said he expected elections to happen at the end of 2026, i.e. on time.[56] In early 2026, Israeli Minister of Science and Technology Gila Gamliel said elections will likely be brought forward to late June or July to allow Netanyahu bloc to leverage the Iran war.[57]
A new budget was passed on 30 March, avoiding early elections.[58]
Campaign issues
Military conscription
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, the issues of Haredi conscription in Israel and exemptions from military service have become a major debate. During the war, support for Haredi conscription rose significantly, from 67% in January 2024 to 84.5% by January 2025.[59]
In June 2024, the Supreme Court of Israel declared any continued exemption of IDF conscription unlawful.[60] In response, officials in the ultra-Orthodox Shas party urged potential conscripts to ignore any call-ups from the IDF and to protest.[61] By the next month, the army began drafting 3,000 Haredi men.[62]
In 2025, Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein had been drafting a Haredi conscription bill, leading to internal division within the governing coalition as Haredi parties demanded continued military exemption.[63] On 23 July, Likud members voted to remove Edelstein and replace him with Boaz Bismuth by a vote of 29 in favor, with four opposed.[64] A poll published by Ma'ariv reported that 52% of respondents found the move to be inappropriate, while 24% found it appropriate, and 24% were unsure.[65]
Israeli opposition leaders have criticized the coalition's unwillingness to enforce a full conscription on eligible Haredi citizens, and have called for an end to Haredi exemptions from military service.[66] Inbar Gity of Yashar has named Haredi conscription "a top priority."[67] Similarly, the issue of Haredi conscription is considered a "central question" in the campaign of Yesh Atid and its leader Yair Lapid.[68]
7 October investigation
One major issue in the election is an investigation into the October 7 attacks. On 6 February 2026, sitting prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a document of his answers during an investigation by the State Comptroller of Israel, which pinned the failures on Netanyahu's political rivals while presenting himself in a positive image.[69] This led to criticism from opposition lawmakers, including from Gadi Eisenkot, who recently founded a new party Yashar to contest in the elections. Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of creating a "fabricated defense" and that the document was published "out of a desire to improve his image, distance himself from blame and harm the other candidates facing him".[70] Naftali Bennett, a top contender in the election, has pledged to establish a commission of inquiry into 7 October as part of his campaign platform.[71]
Constitutionalism
According to a poll in December 2025, an estimated 71% of Israelis support establishing a constitution for the country instead of the existing Basic Laws of Israel.[72] Naftali Bennett's "Bennett 2026" party campaigned on creating a constitution as part of its election platform.[73] The party platform of Yashar also supports enacting a constitution for the state.[74]
Bennett has implied that his support for a constitution is a response to the government efforts at judicial reform in 2023 and later again in 2025. He believes that the existing Basic Laws are unclear in how to legislate or repeal and by what majority, and that by contrast a constitution provides a "clear foundation".[75]
Term limits
In September 2025, opposition leader Naftali Bennett announced that he would work towards implementing term limits for the post of prime minister of Israel if he was elected to lead a government.[71] After forming the Together party with Yair Lapid, Bennett reiterated his platform of establishing term limits for the post of prime minister.[75]
Political parties
2022 election results
The table below lists the results of the 2022 Knesset elections.
Retiring incumbents
The table below lists all members of the Knesset (MKs) who will not stand for re-election.
| Party | Name | Year first elected | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | Merav Michaeli[76] | 2013 | |
| Hadash–Ta'al | Ayman Odeh[77] | 2015 | |
Contesting parties
Publicly expressed interest
- Beyachad Natzliach
- Avi Shaked, a former Labor member and candidate in the 2021 and 2024 Israeli Labor Party leadership elections, announced the formation on 30 June 2025 of a new Jewish-Arab party called "Beyachad Natzliach" (Together We Will Succeed) with businessman Dirar Amreikh of Tamra, and political strategist Yoram Dori.[80][81]
- Haddad-led party
- Yoseph Haddad, an Arab-Israeli pro-Israel advocacy activist and IDF veteran who has become a prominent media and social media voice in recent years, was said to be considering establishing a new political party.[82]
- Mayim Chaim
- On 12 May 2025, Rabbi Haim Yosef Abergel announced his intention to create a new ultra-Orthodox party under the name "Mayim Chaim" (Living Waters), which seeks to compete with Shas on the national level for votes, after successfully challenging Shas locally. It was reported that the party will endorse Haredi conscription into the military and the introduction of secular studies into the ultra-Orthodox school curriculum.[83] He was arrested in August 2025.[84]
- Zeal for Equality in Service
- Started by former Labor MK Einat Wilf[85] based on a platform of "Arab Zionism" and universal conscription.[86]
- "Likud B"
- There is discussion among some Likud members, including Yuli Edelstein, Moshe Kahlon, and Gilad Erdan, in creating a "Likud B" party that would provide a new national right-wing party that is not led by Benjamin Netanyahu.[87]
Leadership elections and primaries
Leadership elections have been held by some parties to determine party leadership ahead of the election. Primary elections will be held by some parties in advance of the national election to determine the composition of their party list.
Blue and White
National Unity had announced on 8 June 2025 that it would hold leadership primaries.[88] The party's Knesset faction was renamed to Blue and White -National Unity in July 2025, following the departures of MKs Gadi Eisenkot and Matan Kahana from the party.[89]
The Democrats
Avi Dabush, the head of Rabbis for Human Rights, announced on 23 April 2026 that he would run in the primaries that will be held by The Democrats.[90]
Labor
Party leader Merav Michaeli announced on 7 December 2023 that she was calling an early leadership election that she would not run in.[91] In response, Meretz chairman Tomer Reznik urged Labor to hold joint primaries with Meretz.[92] On 6 May, the party announced the final slate of leadership candidates: Yair Golan, Itai Leshem, Azi Nagar and Avi Shaked.[93] Golan won the leadership election, which was held on 28 May.[94] On 30 June 2024, Labor and Meretz announced an agreement to merge into a new party, The Democrats, with Golan as the new party's leader.[95] The merger was approved in July by a conference of Labor and Meretz delegates.[96]
Likud
Prior to its primary the Likud held elections to its Central Committee in November 2025 for the first time since January 2012.[97][98] The primary is set for October 2026, unless the Knesset election takes place earlier than its scheduled date.[99]
Yesh Atid
Yesh Atid held its first leadership primary on 28 March 2024, in which party leader Yair Lapid narrowly beat MK Ram Ben-Barak 308 votes to 279, a margin of 29 votes.[100]
Opinion polls
This graph shows the polling trends from the 2022 elections until the next election day using a local regression. Scenario polls are not included here. For parties not crossing the electoral threshold (currently 3.25%) in any given poll, the number of seats is calculated as a percentage of the 120 total seats.
See also
Notes
- The Democrats' members sit in the 25th Knesset as members of the Israeli Labor Party.[1]
