Israelis vote on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, in an election that polls suggest could leave neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition nor the opposition with a majority. The race was shaken this week when former defence minister Benny Gantz withdrew his Blue and White party.
Gantz drops out
Gantz quit on 19 October after polls showed Blue and White falling below the 3.25% threshold needed to win seats in the 120-member Knesset, Al Jazeera reported. He vowed to "continue to work for unity." On 21 October, Blue and White ballot slips were ordered removed from polling stations after all the party's candidates withdrew, according to The Times of Israel.
Gantz shared power with Netanyahu in 2020–21 and joined the war cabinet after the 7 October 2023 attacks before quitting in June 2024.
Latest poll
| Party | Seats (Walla/Panel4All, 19 Oct) |
|---|---|
| Yashar (Gadi Eisenkot) | 23 |
| Likud (Netanyahu) | 19 |
| B’Yachad (Naftali Bennett) | 14 |
| Democrats | 9 |
| Yisrael Beytenu | 8 |
| Shas | 8 |
| Otzma Yehudit | 8 |
| Joint List | 8 |
| United Torah Judaism | 7 |
Source: The Jerusalem Post. The poll surveyed 601 adults with a margin of error of ±4%.
In that poll, Netanyahu's coalition parties would win 48 seats and the opposition 54, both short of the 61 needed for a majority. The Times of Israel puts the opposition plus Yoaz Hendel's Reservists party at about 58 seats.
Kingmakers and red lines
- Yoaz Hendel has not picked a side and says a law requiring military service for all, including ultra-Orthodox men, is a condition for joining any government.
- Gadi Eisenkot, whose party leads the polls, rules out serving under Netanyahu, even in a rotation deal. He and Avigdor Liberman urged voters to back only opposition parties likely to pass the threshold.
- Arab-led parties are projected to win about 13 seats, but both main blocs rule out governing with them, according to Al Jazeera.
Netanyahu and Likud have pressed smaller right-wing parties to drop out to avoid wasted votes, but their leaders have refused, The Times of Israel reported.
What happens next
About 850 military polling stations, staffed by roughly 3,000 soldiers, are already open. After Tuesday's vote, if no bloc reaches 61 seats, weeks of coalition talks, or even another election, are possible. The vote comes as Israel remains involved in the conflict with Iran; see our report on Iran's red lines in peace talks.
