Overview
- Likud’s internal primaries concluded on Monday with Netanyahu asserting control by securing reserved spots at the top of the party list, a move designed to shape who will run in the October 27 election.
- National polls now put Likud and former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar at roughly 23 seats each while an anti‑Netanyahu bloc leads in projections but still lacks a guaranteed 61‑seat majority without Arab‑party results.
- Campaign tactics have intensified: a Likud billboard placed New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani beside leaders of Iran, Turkey and Hezbollah, and an IDTA website briefly let users check Likud registrants by Israeli ID before that feature was removed.
- Reports say Netanyahu allies are preparing a post‑primary effort to remove Haredi-registered Likud members judged not to support the party, a step that highlights organized voting blocs and deepening intra‑party fractures.
- Security and external signals are changing the campaign’s tone as Shin Bet weighs protection for Eisenkot and President Trump has so far refrained from endorsing Netanyahu, both shaping voter perceptions of leadership and risk.