Overview
- The Knesset announced the election date on Sunday, July 12, formalizing the last legally permitted day for a vote and locking in an autumn campaign calendar.
- If the vote stays on October 27 the current government will have completed a full four‑year term because the Knesset is due to end its session in mid‑July.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared he will run and is pitching a 'broad national government' while his right‑wing coalition has raced to pass laws to shore up support.
- Coalition instability, including the recent exit of United Torah Judaism, has narrowed Netanyahu’s majority and heightened the importance of pre‑election deals between parties.
- Polling shows rising support for former military chief Gadi Eisenkot and widespread voter concern about security failures since the October 7, 2023 attacks, making national security the central campaign issue and complicating post‑election coalition math.