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2026 Israeli election

The race to 61

The Times of Israel's electoral dashboard — polling by Zman Yisrael.
Tap or hover over a party name for more info.

Knesset seat projections over time

Possible coalitions according to the latest poll

*Joint List and Ra'am may support a coalition without formally joining

Where the parties stand on key issues

Times of Israel's Election 2026 events
ToI Events
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Election 2026
Book now! The Times of Israel presents three live events ahead of Israel’s fateful elections
By ToI Staff
We're holding a series of diverse and compelling English-language evenings in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, with candidates, commentators and our own journalists. Join us!
Opposition leader Yair Lapid (right) speaking with Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz in Tel Aviv, October 12, 2026. (The Times of Israel)
At ToI event, Lapid warns president against meddling in post-election coalition talks
By Ariela Karmel
Yashar party leader and former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot campaigns ahead of Israel’s upcoming general election, in Kiryat Malachi, August 17, 2026. (Amir Cohen/Reuters)
Interview
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Bereaved by war, determined to heal, protect and revive Israel: Gadi Eisenkot’s prime ministerial mission
By Tal Schneider and David Horovitz
Ariela Karmel
Reporter's notebook
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Ofer Winter talks like he’s the opposition, but won’t walk away from Netanyahu
Ariela Karmel
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the and Religious Zionism party chairman, tours the Mahane Yehuda Market as part of the party’s election campaign in Jerusalem, October 9, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
October 13, 2026, 6:38 pm
Smotrich: ‘Complete lie’ that IDF troops are burdened because of Haredi exemption
Far-right minister contradicts IDF assessments, claims some 50,000 reservists are willing to return to fight; Haredi youths tear down election signs for new ultra-Orthodox party
By Ariela Karmel
People of Israel party chairman Ofer Winter speaks at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, October 11, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
October 12, 2026, 5:54 pm
‘Shooting us in the back’: Winter says Netanyahu to blame if his party fails to enter Knesset
Ex-general, who says he plans to back Netanyahu but has repeatedly tussled with him, lashes out after PM called him ‘fake right’; opposition’s Eisenkot, Golan also attack premier
By Stav Levaton and Ariela Karmel
Former prime minister and B'Yachad party chairman Naftali Bennett speaks at a press conference in Tel Aviv, October 11, 2026. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
October 12, 2026, 2:51 am
Bennett suggests Netanyahu could sit in future government, backtracks, says he wasn’t serious
In fresh round of bloc infighting, Eisenkot, Golan, Liberman categorically reject possibility of sitting in coalition with Likud leader, while Gantz is lone voice of support
By Shira Silkoff and Ariela Karmel
Yousef Jabareen, chairman of the Joint List, attends the party’s campaign launch event ahead of the upcoming Israeli general elections, in Tel Aviv, October 5, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
October 11, 2026, 1:07 am
Joint Arab List says it’s willing to provide safety net for any anti-Netanyahu coalition
But party to condition support on pathway to Palestinian state; Winter, Netanyahu trade barbs after ex-general says ‘I don’t work for anyone’; Gantz vows to stay in race despite poor polling
By ToI Staff and Zev Stub
An Israeli youth makes a graffiti at a skatepark in Tel Aviv, September 29, 2026. (Ilia YEFIMOVICH/AFP)
October 10, 2026, 9:08 pm
‘Peace is not in people’s minds’: October 7 scars take center stage for first-time voters
Over half a million Israelis will cast a ballot for the first time in this month’s election, and polls indicate they have a clear right-wing slant
By AFP and ToI Staff
Ultra-Orthodox men block Bar-Ilan Street and clash with police during a protest against the jailing of yeshiva students who failed to comply with an army recruitment order, in Jerusalem, October 8, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
October 9, 2026, 5:25 pm
Report: Netanyahu asked Haredi parties to cancel Thursday’s anti-draft protests, fearing optics
TV report says ultra-Orthodox politicians clarified to PM that demonstrations, which saw three arrested amid clashes with polices, were called by extremist Jerusalem Faction
By ToI Staff
Israel’s far-right influencer Mordechai David speaks during an interview with AFP in Bnei Brak on September 3, 2026. (Jack Guez/AFP)
October 9, 2026, 8:44 am
Far-right online agitator Mordechai David, the new face of Israel’s toxic political discourse
Ben Gvir ally blasts smartphone videos to hundreds of thousands on social media, targeting everyone considered ‘unpatriotic,’ from an Arab Israeli TV anchor to the former Supreme Court chief
By Yaelle Ifrah
An election campaign poster featuring Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot is displayed on a bus in Jerusalem, October 5, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
October 8, 2026, 7:19 pm
ToI poll: Anti-Netanyahu bloc regains lead but both camps short of majority 19 days ahead of vote
Zman Yisrael survey gives bloc of Jewish-led opposition parties a four-seat edge, with Eisenkot’s Yashar back in first ahead of Likud; Channel 13 poll places PM’s bloc ahead
By ToI Staff
News editor Ben Sales appears on the Daily Briefing with host Jessica Steinberg on October 8, 2026 (Flash 90)
October 8, 2026, 2:20 pm
Daily Briefing Oct. 8: Shared grief, deep divisions – Israel marks October 7
News editor Ben Sales discusses the ceremonies held on the third anniversary of the Hamas attack, democratic expectations for election day, and candidates’ reactions to the flydubai attack
By Jessica Steinberg and Ben Sales
An election poster for Prime Minsiter Benjamin Netanyahu that reads, 'We won't surrender,' in Tel Aviv, October 6, 2026. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)
October 8, 2026, 2:35 am
Three years after Oct. 7 reshaped Israel, its political map is much the same
Voters’ beliefs have been cemented by war, with those against Netanyahu blaming him for massacre, while loyalists view reports that he was given prior warnings of attack as part of effort to topple him
By Ruth Eglash
Passengers from flydubai flight FZ1073 walk through the arrivals hall at Ben Gurion International Airport, after their original flight from Dubai to Israel made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia following a terror attack by the copilot, who attacked the captain and tried to crash the plane, September 30, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
October 8, 2026, 2:03 am
As with Oct. 7, so too with Sept. 30’s flydubai attack: A failure to prevent obvious deadly threats, and a refusal to take responsibility
The gaping holes in security for passengers on foreign airlines serving Israel truly boggle the mind. Until they are clearly addressed, travelers should be very careful in their choices… And so, too, should Israeli voters
By David Horovitz
L: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, September 24, 2026. R: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to the press in July 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
October 7, 2026, 12:38 pm
Is Netanyahu’s beef with Mamdani helping him politically?
Experts say PM, facing tough reelection campaign, has painted himself as a bulwark against a New York City mayor who is an icon of global anti-Israel sentiment
By Eliav Breuer
Passengers at the arrival hall in the Ben Gurion International airport near Tel Aviv on May 18, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
October 7, 2026, 2:00 am
Likud inks compromise with Israeli expat voter effort; 53,000 said planning to fly in for election
Under the agreement, Likud agrees to withdraw petition, while AID Coalition, which advertised six flights for Election Day, will not subsidize costs or organize more planes
By ToI Staff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Tel Nof air base in a picture distributed on September 29, 2026. (Ma’ayan Toaf/GPO)
October 6, 2026, 11:10 pm
Netanyahu ordered to remove video filmed at IDF airbase from his personal social media
Central Elections Committee chief Noam Sohlberg says clip, in which PM warned enemies may attack Israel before Oct. 27 vote, contained ‘elements of election propaganda’
By ToI Staff
Former hostage Yocheved Lifshitz joins families of former hostages, hostages who were killed in captivity in the Gaza Strip, and victims of the October 7 attack at the Families’ Sukkah at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, September 28, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
October 6, 2026, 10:34 pm
Poll finds Oct. 7 a central factor in most Israelis’ election decision-making
But split between supporters, opponents of government remains largely unchanged from before Hamas attack; survey shows declining levels of optimism about future of democracy, national security, economy and social cohesion
By ToI Staff
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