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| Israel Election 2026: The parties, blocs and battles that will shape Israel's future - explainer | |||
| 2026-09-01 | |||
An important point: the polls are going to change a 100 times between now and Oct 27th
This election will be the first to take place since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, with the political landscape and the issues at the forefront of voters’ minds having shifted significantly since the previous vote in 2022. Some of the central issues include the IDF’s severe manpower crisis after three years of war, contentious haredi (ultra-Orthodox) conscription legislation, and calls for a state commission of inquiry into the government’s failures surrounding the attack. Meanwhile, traditional election issues, such as the establishment of a Palestinian state, have moved further to the background as Israel’s security outlook has changed. Another major issue is the fate of long-serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has led Israel for a total of 19 years. In Israel there are no Left & Right: just anti-Bibi and the rest. Prof. Ofer Kenig, a political expert and research fellow with the Israel Democracy Institute’s Political Reform Program, told The Jerusalem Report that the upcoming election will "mark the direction in which Israel’s democracy is heading." Kenig, who is also a lecturer at Ashkelon Academic College, said that the outgoing coalition differed from previous Netanyahu-led governments in that it was "full Right," a change that was felt by Israeli society due to stark policy changes over the past four years. "Most Israelis do want some kind of broad government — without the extremists. Without the haredim and without the Arabs, for that matter," Kenig noted. Among the major issues will be the haredi draft laws and a state commission of inquiry, along with key domestic policies such as the rise in the cost of living. Additionally, he said it will be interesting to see what happens with the political alliances between the parties hovering on the electoral threshold, what is becoming known as "the third bloc," a new batch of parties offering an alternative to the current right-wing parties. Kenig said it was important to also keep watch on the Arab parties, noting that the formation of a new Joint List could weaken Netanyahu’s bloc, but, it could also complicate the formation of a government for the opposition bloc. He said that Netanyahu’s recent calls to form a "broad national government," suggest that the Prime Minister is facing a "less than optimal situation" as his own party, Likud, continues to slip in the polls. "If [Netanyahu] were in a much better position in the polls, I’m quite convinced we wouldn’t hear that this was the Likud’s main election slogan," Kenig noted, adding that there appears to be a shift in Netanyahu’s strategy away from attempting to win to "just trying not to lose." Netanyahu may be aware that he "doesn’t have the cards in his hands to win," and could instead be focusing on not losing, Kenig said. The question might no longer be whether Likud can remain the largest party, but whether Netanyahu can assemble a coalition with himself at the helm. In that case, Kenig theorized, Netanyahu could seek an election result in which the opposition bloc falls short of a majority, allowing him to remain in power as head of a transitional government until another election." So, even as Israelis cast their vote at the ballot box, the real fight might come afterwards with coalition haggling deciding the outcome of this fateful election. Dramatis Personae long at the link
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Strident Likud MK says she is open to ‘serious offer’ to join another party [IsraelTimes] After primary places her in 20th spot on slate, Tally Gotliv says she refuses to be ‘treated as a doormat’ by Netanyahu, but admits she has yet to receive a firm offer | |||
| Posted by:Grom the Reflective |