Israel votes on 27 October: the parties, the blocs and the arithmetic

Israelis go to the polls on Tuesday 27 October to elect the 26th Knesset. With three weeks to go, the race is tight and neither political camp is on course for a majority on its own.

How the system works

Israel votes for national party lists, not for candidates in constituencies. The 120 seats are shared out proportionally among the lists that win at least 3.25% of the vote — about four seats. A government needs the support of at least 61 members. After the election the president asks the candidate with the best chance of forming a coalition to try.

The main contenders

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads Likud. His principal challenger is former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, whose new party Yashar overtook Likud in poll averages in July, according to The Jewish Chronicle’s tracker. Former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid run together as Beyachad; the left-wing Democrats are projected to win around ten seats. To stay in power, Netanyahu may again need Haredi and far-right partners — an alliance that came under strain over Haredi military conscription.

What the polls say

Reuters’ polling average puts Yashar and Likud level. A Channel 12 survey published on 5 October gave the Eisenkot bloc 54 seats and the Netanyahu bloc 49, leaving Eisenkot dependent on Arab parties for a majority, Haaretz reported. The independent average at Israel Votes 2026 shows neither bloc reaching 61. Polls differ widely between pollsters, and some pollsters have political ties; they are snapshots, not forecasts. Israeli law forbids publishing new polls from the Friday before election day.

The Arab lists are back in

On 2 October the Supreme Court overturned decisions of the Central Elections Committee to bar the Arab lists Ra’am and the Joint List, and Hadash MK Ofer Cassif, from running. The justices said the material presented did not meet the strict legal standard for disqualifying an entire list. All members of the panel sharply criticised Cassif’s statements, and two dissenting justices would have barred him. Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh withdrew his candidacy during the proceedings. Arab citizens make up roughly a fifth of Israel’s population.

The issues

Responsibility for the failures of 7 October dominates the campaign, three years after the attack, Axios reports. Netanyahu’s opponents accuse him of blocking a state commission of inquiry; he says security chiefs kept him in the dark. The future of Gaza is also on the ballot: analysts quoted by The New Arab say implementation of the Board of Peace plan is effectively waiting for the result.

What happens next

If no bloc reaches 61, coalition talks could take weeks, and some observers do not rule out another election. GOD News follows the campaign in its dossier “Israel’s 2026 election”.