Israel's October 27 Election Enters Final Stretch as Opposition Pact Challenges Netanyahu

As of October 19, 2026, Israel's general election on October 27 was entering its final critical week, with polling showing a highly competitive race. Netanyahu's Likud party centred its campaign on security achievements, crediting the prime minister with successive military campaigns against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran, while blaming the security establishment for intelligence failures before the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. Five opposition leaders — former prime ministers Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett (running together under Beyachad), retired military chief Gadi Eisenkot (Yashar), Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu) and Yair Golan (Democrats) — signed a non-aggression pact on September 26 pledging to form a coalition government and oust Netanyahu. Eisenkot, whose son and two nephews were killed in Gaza, has positioned himself as the candidate most closely tied to the war's human cost. President Trump endorsed Netanyahu, while the opposition argued Netanyahu's personal legal battles and coalition management had damaged Israeli democracy. None of the main candidates endorsed Palestinian statehood. Israel was fighting its longest war since independence, with ongoing campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and against Iran, making security the overwhelming campaign issue.