Likud
- Standing position
Its six pillars call for a free market with less regulation and more competition, and investment in the periphery, housing, health and infrastructure.
Sources reviewed: Oct 5, 2026
Israel Elections 2026
Israel elects the 26th Knesset on Tuesday, 27 October 2026.
Latest election news
Eisenkot Accuses Television Channel of Ignoring October 7 Families’ Ceremony
Gadi EisenkotOpens in a new tab.Yiska Haimov Calls for Closing Shin Bet’s Jewish Division
Kol BaramaOpens in a new tab.Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef Blames Ben Gvir for Yeshiva-Student Arrests
Secondary sources:1Asher Urges Ben Gvir Against Increasing Yeshiva-Student Arrests Before Election
Secondary sources:1Poll Puts Netanyahu Bloc at 55 Seats, Opposition at 50
Channel 13 NewsOpens in a new tab.Lapid Rebuts Likud’s Denial of Pre-October 7 Warnings
Yair LapidOpens in a new tab.Benjamin NetanyahuOpens in a new tab.Likud Accuses Channel 12 of Political Propaganda on October 7 Anniversary
Benjamin NetanyahuOpens in a new tab.Aviv Itach Reportedly Expected to Become Gila Gamliel’s Chief of Staff
Secondary sources:1Israel Opens Walk-In ID Card Applications Ahead of Election
Population and Immigration AuthorityOpens in a new tab.Ben Gvir Reportedly Not Invited to Netanyahu–Smotrich Election Conference
Secondary sources:1Sohlberg Orders Netanyahu Airbase Video Removed From Private Accounts
Central Elections CommitteeOpens in a new tab.Likud Signs Surplus-Vote Deal With Religious Zionism and Zehut
Secondary sources:12Bennett Proposes Barring Draft Evaders and Their Encouragers From Security Cabinet
Secondary sources:1Eisenkot Pledges No Coalition With Parties Holding Rabbi Lando’s Views
Secondary sources:1Joint List Launches Hebrew Campaign in Tel Aviv, Targets Ten Seats
Secondary sources:1New Poll Puts Netanyahu Bloc at 49 Seats and Amcha Israel Below Threshold
N12Opens in a new tab.Eisenkot Invites Netanyahu to a Live Televised Election Debate
Secondary sources:12New Poll Puts Yashar at 23 Seats and Likud at 21
KanOpens in a new tab.Likud Internal Polls Reportedly Raise Threshold Fears for Winter and Smotrich
Secondary sources:1Sohlberg Orders Netanyahu Campaign Posts Removed and Imposes NIS 29,000 in Costs
Central Elections Committee for the 26th KnessetOpens in a new tab.Liberman Calls for Shin Bet Chief Zini to Resign Over Flydubai Attack
Secondary sources:1Amcha Israel Defends Haddad Against Smotrich Over Archived Palestinian-State Remarks
Secondary sources:1Liberman's Formal Plan Keeps Israeli Security Control and Gives Jordan Civil Policing
Yisrael BeytenuOpens in a new tab.Yashar Officials Say Party Is Targeting a Pool of 200,000 Undecided Likud Voters
Secondary sources:1Tibi Says Democrats Hurt Abu Shehadeh’s Chances Before Supreme Court
Secondary sources:1Sufian Abu Zaida Denies Trying to Influence Israeli Election
Secondary sources:1Amcha Israel Says Full October 7 Inquiry Plan Will Be Unveiled Next Week
Secondary sources:1Yoseph Haddad Says 2021 Events Changed His View on a Palestinian State
Yoseph HaddadOpens in a new tab.Ofer Winter Says Likud Offered Him Third Slot and Defense Ministry
Secondary sources:1Eisenkot and Gantz Pass Without Greeting at October Council Exhibition
Secondary sources:123Gantz Claims Blue and White Has More Than Five Seats of Potential Support
Benny GantzOpens in a new tab.Anti-Government Protests Held Across Israel as Witnesses Report Kabri Clash
Secondary sources:1New Poll Puts Coalition Bloc at 51 Seats and Zionist Opposition at 53
MaarivOpens in a new tab.Sami Abu Shehadeh Withdraws Candidacy After Supreme Court Hearing
Israeli GovernmentOpens in a new tab.Secondary sources:1New Poll Puts Likud at 28 Seats and Yashar at 22
Direct PollsOpens in a new tab.i24NEWSOpens in a new tab.Election Chief Sohlberg Orders Ben-Gvir to Remove Hamas Prisoner Campaign Video
Secondary sources:12Yaakov Bardugo Joins Netanyahu’s Election Campaign Team
Secondary sources:1Election Chief Sohlberg Rejects Petitions Against Religious Zionism’s AI Video
Secondary sources:12Man Indicted Over Salt Shaker Thrown Toward Bennett
Secondary sources:1Nine-Justice Supreme Court Panel Begins Hearing on Election Disqualifications
Israeli GovernmentOpens in a new tab.Secondary sources:1New Poll Puts Netanyahu Bloc at 54 Seats and Yashar at 21
Channel 13 NewsOpens in a new tab.Lapid Says Flydubai Incident Was Not Raised in Netanyahu Security Briefing
Secondary sources:1New Footage Shows Rabbi Landau Condemning Calls to Abstain From Election
Secondary sources:1Likud Examines Ways to Delay Replacing Knesset Speaker After Election
Secondary sources:1Thousands March in Jerusalem to Welcome Haredi Men Released From Military Prison
Secondary sources:12Lapid Says Election Will Proceed After Netanyahu Security Briefing
Secondary sources:12IDF Sources Say No Specific Alert After Netanyahu’s Election Warning
Israeli GovernmentOpens in a new tab.Secondary sources:12Bennett Warns IDF Could Collapse Without More Recruits
X · @naftalibennettOpens in a new tab.Secondary sources:1Yashar Says Shin Bet Will Not Directly Guard Gadi Eisenkot
Secondary sources:1High Court Seeks Two-Day Reply on Yair Golan Security
Secondary sources:12
At a glance
- Election day
- Tuesday, 27 October 2026
- Election to the 26th Knesset
- Polling hours
- 7:00 to 22:00
- 8:00 to 20:00 in localities with up to 350 voters, and in hospitals, prisons and old-age homes
- Seats
- 120
- Members of Knesset, elected in one nationwide constituency
- Majority
- 61
- An absolute majority of the 120 seats
- Electoral threshold
- 3.25%
- Share of the valid votes a list needs to win seats
- Who can vote
- Israeli citizens aged 18 or over
- No sign-up: the register comes from the Population Registry
- Eligible voters
- 7,331,981
- Central Elections Committee register, 6 September 2026
- Lists running
- 38
- Candidate lists approved by the Central Elections Committee
- Polling stations
- 12,018
- Across Israel, plus 250 in hospitals, 55 in prisons and 102 at Israel's missions abroad
Latest polls
- Right-religious bloc55
- Center-opposition bloc50
- Non-aligned2
- Arab parties13
- Likud23
- Yashar (Eisenkot)22
- Together (Bennett-Lapid)11
- The Democrats9
- Shas8
- Yisrael Beytenu8
- United Torah Judaism8
- Joint List (Hadash-Ta'al-Balad)8
- Otzma Yehudit7
- Religious Zionism-Zehut6
- Ra'am5
- People of Israel (Winter)3
- Reservists-Economic (Hendel-Zelekha)2
Positions of leading prime minister candidates
Position
Netanyahu
Bennett
Eisenkot
NetanyahuBennettEisenkotPositions of the parties
All sourced positions
PositionLikudTogether (Bennett-Lapid)Yashar (Eisenkot)
Security & diplomacy
Economy
Society & tradition
Keep 60% of disability benefits after entering workno sourced position listedno sourced position listed
Government & rights
Where they differ
Together (Bennett-Lapid)
- Proposed
Remove import barriers, break up food monopolies and support farmers directly. Targets OECD-average grocery prices within three years.
Sources reviewed: Oct 5, 2026
Yashar (Eisenkot)
- Proposed
Open parallel imports and reduce food-market concentration. Proposes lower income tax financed by taxes on products such as sugary drinks and disposable utensils.
Sources reviewed: Oct 5, 2026
Selected positions from the cited sources.
How the vote works
- One constituency
- All 120 seats are filled from a single nationwide count, in proportion to each list's share of the valid votes.
- Party lists
- Voters choose a party list, not an individual candidate. A list that wins 20 seats sends the first 20 names on it to the Knesset.
- Threshold
- A list needs at least 3.25% of the valid votes to win any seats.
- Seat allocation
- Seats are divided by the Bader-Ofer method, and two lists may sign a surplus-vote agreement to pool their leftover votes.
- Coalition
- Every Israeli government so far has been a coalition of more than one party. A majority of the Knesset is 61 of the 120 seats.
After election day
- Election night
- Polling stations close at 22:00 and the ballots are counted.
- Official results
- The Central Elections Committee publishes the official results within eight days, by Wednesday 4 November 2026.
- First sitting
- The new Knesset holds its first sitting within 14 days of election day.
- The President's choice
- Within seven days of the official results, the President consults the lists elected to the Knesset and gives one member who agrees the task of forming a government.
- A new government
- That member has 28 days, which the President may extend by up to 14 more. The government takes office once the Knesset expresses confidence in it.
The 2022 election
Seats won in the election to the 25th Knesset on 1 November 2022. Turnout was 70.63% of 6,788,804 eligible voters.
Questions and answers
When is the Israeli election?
Election day is Tuesday, 27 October 2026. Most polling stations are open from 7:00 to 22:00.
Why is the election on 27 October 2026?
It is the regular date set by law, because the 25th Knesset was not dissolved early. Basic Law: The Knesset puts the vote on the third Tuesday of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan at the end of the Knesset's term, and the chairman of the Central Elections Committee confirmed the date in April 2023.
How many parties are running?
Candidate lists approved by the Central Elections Committee: 38.
How many seats are needed to form a government?
There is no fixed number in law: a new government takes office once it wins a vote of confidence in the Knesset, which needs more votes for it than against. A majority of the Knesset is 61 of the 120 seats, and every Israeli government so far has been a coalition of more than one party.
What is the electoral threshold?
A list must win at least 3.25% of the valid votes to enter the Knesset. In 2022 that meant 154,855 votes.
Who can vote?
Every Israeli citizen who is 18 or older on election day. There is no sign-up: the Ministry of Interior draws the voters' register from the Population Registry, and each voter is assigned a polling station near their registered address.
Can Israelis vote from abroad?
Voting is possible only in Israel, aboard Israeli ships and at Israel's missions abroad. The missions are open only to Israelis posted abroad by the state, including soldiers, or by the Jewish Agency, the World Zionist Organization, KKL-JNF or Keren Hayesod, and to their families. There is no postal or absentee voting.
When will the results be known?
Counting begins when the polls close at 22:00. The Central Elections Committee publishes the official results within eight days, by 4 November 2026.
Who is running for prime minister?
The candidates leading the main lists include Benjamin Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett, Gadi Eisenkot.