Israel to hold national elections on October 27, parliament says
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- Israel will hold national elections on October 27, the latest date legally permitted, after the Knesset confirmed it would complete its full four-year term.
- Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed he will run again, seeking re-election as Israel’s longest-serving prime minister despite criticism over security failures following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
- Gadi Eisenkot, former Israeli army chief of staff and Netanyahu’s main rival, leads a new party that narrowly outpaces Likud in a recent Channel 13 poll.
- The Knesset is set to end its current session on Friday without passing a dissolution law, as the election date is already fixed by law and no early dissolution is planned.
- Netanyahu’s government is pushing to pass controversial legislation before recess, including judicial reforms and a bill to suspend detention of ultra-Orthodox Jews evading military service.
- Yossi Mekelberg of Chatham House called the upcoming election the most consequential in Israel’s history, citing damaged international relations and erosion of democratic institutions.
Why it matters: Netanyahu faces a high-stakes electoral test after nearly four years of war and political polarization, with Eisenkot’s rise signaling a potential shift in security-focused voter sentiment; the outcome will determine whether Israel’s longest-serving leader retains power amid corruption charges and widespread criticism of his wartime leadership.
