Overview
- Late‑July reports by Channel 12 political analyst Amit Segal and multiple polls show former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot rising as the principal challenger to Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the October 27 election.
- Eisenkot’s reported core demand is a universal military or national service law that would require mandatory service from ultra‑Orthodox Jews and Arab citizens and serve as a firm prerequisite for joining his coalition.
- The playbook, as described in recent coverage, would bar quiet abstention deals and formal coalition partnerships with chareidi and Arab parties unless they accept the draft condition without reservation.
- Religious Zionism completed primaries on July 26, keeping Bezalel Smotrich at the top of its slate with Orit Strock, Simcha Rothman and Tzvi Succot in leading positions, a result that solidifies a far‑right bloc that will affect post‑vote bargaining.
- Polling in late July shows a very tight race with small blocs set to decide the outcome, making Eisenkot’s no‑compromise terms and the Religious Zionism slate decisive factors for whether a durable Zionist majority can be formed.