Knesset dissolves: How will Israel vote in October’s general election?
Knesset dissolves after first full term since 1988, with Israel heading towards crucial elections on October 27, 2026. The Knesset, Israel’s unicameral parliament, will dissolve
Knesset dissolves after first full term since 1988, with Israel heading towards crucial elections on October 27, 2026. The Knesset, Israel’s unicameral parliament, will dissolve on Friday before national elections slated for October 27, 2026, marking the first time the body has seen out its full term since 1988. It has coincided with one of the most eventful and controversial periods in the country’s history, with many of the political events hotly debated in the Israeli parliament. It has backed Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, which began following Hamas-led attacks into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and wars on Iran and Lebanon. Closer to home, it has supported the unparalleled and violent expansion of illegal settlements on Palestinian land across the occupied West Bank. Even Israel’s allies, in the US and elsewhere, have criticised this government for an unparalleled array of accusations of torture, sexual abuse, and the systematic killing of civilians, including children. This has been overseen by Israel’s most right-wing government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been accused of corruption, waging a domestic war on Israel’s judiciary, and radically politicising the country’s security services to suit his political agenda. How these events will affect voting in the October election is still unclear, with opinion polls suggesting that Israeli society continues to lurch to the right.
Here’s what we know. How will the vote work? Israel’s electoral system is based on nationwide proportional representation, with voters choosing party lists rather than individual candidates. The country functions as a single electoral district, with seats in the 120-member Knesset allocated according to each party’s share of the vote, provided it clears the 3.25 percent electoral threshold. Since no party has won an outright majority in the country’s history, coalition-building is central. After elections, the president asks the politician best placed to form a government to assemble a coalition. According to the most recent poll by Israel’s Channel 12, former Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot and his newly formed Yashar party appear best placed to challenge Netanyahu and his Likud party. Yashar is projected to win 23 seats, compared with 22 for the incumbent’s party, although both would have to form a coalition to govern. Eizenkot, a former military commander described by Israeli media as centrist, has criticised Netanyahu’s handling of regional wars and domestic divisions. Also in contention are former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, campaigning jointly on the Together ticket, with this political alliance projected to win 16 seats. Bennett, a right-wing politician, has presented himself as a pragmatic alternative to Netanyahu, while Lapid, a centrist former opposition leader, has focused on institutional reform and secular issues.
The BriefWire