Israelis are voting October 27, 2026, in the 26th Knesset election.
Why it matters: The result could determine Israel's next governing coalition and its approach to Gaza, Iran and relations with Washington. An inconclusive outcome could prolong negotiations over military-service exemptions and the war's next phase.
- The election is Israel's first national vote since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, according to the Associated Press.
- The Times of Israel's final poll projected Yashar at 23 seats and Likud at 21.
- The poll grouped Netanyahu-aligned and opposition parties at 51 seats each in the 120-seat Knesset, below the 61-seat coalition threshold.
- The supplied poll report covered 500 respondents on October 14-15, but does not provide a sampling method or margin of error.
Israelis began voting on October 27, 2026, in the country's first national election since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. The contest is for the 120-seat Knesset, not directly for prime minister: voters choose party lists, then parties negotiate to form a coalition. The Associated Press describes the electoral system and the 61-seat threshold for a governing majority.
Polling suggests an uncertain result. The Times of Israel's final poll, conducted October 14-15 among 500 respondents, projected Yashar, Gadi Eisenkot's party, at 23 seats and Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud at 21.
The poll placed the Netanyahu-aligned grouping and the opposition grouping at 51 seats each. Those are polling categories, not guaranteed coalition commitments. The supplied report does not provide a complete party-by-party list for either grouping, so the totals should not be read as fixed negotiating blocs. It also does not state the poll's sampling method or margin of error. This is one final poll, not a consensus forecast.
The campaign has focused on the October 7 security failures, the wars in Gaza and beyond, exemptions from military service sought by ultra-Orthodox parties, and Netanyahu's refusal to establish a commission of inquiry. The AP's election report outlines those issues.
Axios reported that Eisenkot supports ending Hamas control of Gaza within 18 months and continued pressure on Iran, while opposing military action aimed at regime change there. Netanyahu has framed the vote as a choice between his leadership and an opposition government dependent on Arab parties.
After the votes are counted, parties will negotiate over a coalition. The supplied materials do not establish the constitutional sequence for assigning the mandate to form a government or the legal trigger for another election, so the result should not be described as an automatic immediate return to the polls.
By the numbers
- 120 - seats in the Knesset
- 61 - seats needed for a governing coalition majority
- 51-51 - seats projected for the two main polling groupings
Yes, but: The 51-51 projection comes from one final Times of Israel poll. Its methodology and margin of error are not provided in the supplied materials, and the groupings are not binding coalition commitments.
What's next: After voting ends, parties will negotiate over whether either side can assemble a governing coalition; the supplied materials do not provide a timetable for that process or a subsequent election.