Israel Elections 2026

Arab Israeli voters are essential to Israel’s democratic future - opinion

Organized crime, bigotry, never-ending war, Jewish terror in the West Bank – these are not our fate. If we get rid of this government, we could salvage our chances of living together here in peace.

|ByHAVIVA NER-DAVID
An Israeli Arab casts her ballot at a polling station inside a church in the northern town of Reineh, March 17, 2015.
People walk in the rain in Jerusalem, August 15, 2026.

Israel braces for rainy Election Day, but can bad weather affect voter turnout?

Showers are expected on Election Day, but turnout figures going back to 1949 show that the weather has never decided who shows up at the ballot box.

|ByYOAV ETIEL
Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot attends a demonstration at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, calling for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led massacre, just days ahead of Israel’s general elections, October 24, 2026.

Eisenkot’s Yashar seeks to halt Netanyahu meeting with police chief on election integrity

Yashar accused Netanyahu of potentially seeking to pressure public servants to advance his political interests. 

|BySARAH BEN-NUN
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the Negev Conference in the southern city of Dimona, southern Israel, July 17, 2026.

Dimona's former Netanyahu loyalists turn to Eisenkot as battle for final undecided voters heats up

In places like Dimona, Eisenkot could chip away at Likud's base, said Amotz Asa-El, a columnist for The Jerusalem Post and a political scientist at the Hartman Institute.

|ByREUTERS

Middle Israel: Why Naftali Bennett should be Israel's next prime minister - opinion

Democratic election is about performance, but next Tuesday’s is about what happened once we faced war: how good, bad, or scandalous our leaders’ handling of the war’s home front challenges has been.

OCTOBER 23, 2026ByAMOTZ ASA-EL
Knesset candidate Naftali Bennett's urge to bridge between religious and secular Israelis, and the right-wing Bennett's resolve to prevent Jewish terrorists' tinkering with civil war, are among the reasons the writer thinks he appeals as a potential prime minister.

Israel’s election is being cast as a historic showdown - but four trends tell a different story

POLITICAL AFFAIRS: From rivalries within political blocs to polls that shape voter choices and coalition red lines, four trends reveal the challenges facing Israel’s next government.

OCTOBER 23, 2026ByHERB KEINON
‘Politicians should leave room for compromise before the election, rather than making absolute promises they may have to abandon afterward for the good of the country.’ Will the challenge of building Israel’s next coalition government fall to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or Gadi Eisenkot?

Ben-Gvir to 'Post': Netanyahu should stand with me rather than Eisenkot -interview

“Netanyahu needs to stand with me on the Right and pursue a full, full right-wing government. Only that way will we be able to save the State of Israel," Ben-Gvir told the 'Post' in an interview.

OCTOBER 23, 2026ByKESHET NEEV, SARAH BEN-NUN
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in the Jerusalem Post studio, October 21, 2026.

Editor's Notes: Israel's election exposes deep political divisions after Gantz withdrawal - comment

Here is my request, the only one I’ll make before the polls open. Give yourself permission to notice one thing that complicates your choice.

OCTOBER 23, 2026ByZVIKA KLEIN
Benny Gantz visits the site of an Iranian missile strike in Beit Shemesh, March 2, 2026

Over 65,000 Israelis abroad estimated to travel to vote in 2026 elections, new Fly&Vote survey says

The results of the survey mark a clear jump from the previous estimate of 53,000 published at the start of October. 

OCTOBER 23, 2026ByANNA BARSKY, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Ballot box, Ben Gurion Airport.

Ahmad Tibi outlines plan to oust Netanyahu after elections if neither bloc forms majority

In a statement to the media, Tibi outlined what he described as practical steps to prevent the prime minister from continuing in office as head of a caretaker government.

OCTOBER 22, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
MK Ahmad Tibi attends Hadash–Ta'al faction meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on June 29, 2026.

High Court blocks Likud-backed digital voter tracking at polling stations ahead of elections

The High Court rules 2-1 against real-time voter counting by political party representatives ahead of Israel's 2026 elections.

OCTOBER 22, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN
An Israeli man walks with his son to cast his ballot on the day of Israel's general election in a polling station in Rahat, Israel November 1, 2022.

WATCH: Fueled by a life's mission, Netanyahu asks Israelis for time to 'finish the job' in Iran

Netanyahu to 'Post': I want five more terms • 'I'll form gov't with current coalition partners; Eisenkot ruled me out' • Trump's support 'surprised' PM, Israel must capitalize before tide turns in US

OCTOBER 22, 2026ByZVIKA KLEIN, AMICHAI STEIN
In a birthday interview beginning after 2 a.m., the prime minister made his case for another term. We pressed him on Qatar, his trial, and the question outlasting this election: What happens after Trump?

Hendel to 'Post': Reservists Party could decide Israel's next government - interview

The party, he explained, will only join a coalition of Zionist parties, and isn't ruling any of them out based on who is or isn't Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

OCTOBER 22, 2026BySHIR PERETS
Yoaz Hendel of the Reservist-Economic Party being interviewed by The Jerusalem Post, October 22, 2026.

Peace absent from Israel's 2026 elections as West Bank tensions continue to rise -analysis

More than three years of war have reshaped the country, but few candidates are offering a vision for relations with the Palestinians, let alone a path toward resolving the conflict. 

OCTOBER 22, 2026ByRUTH EGLASH/JTA
Election campaign billboards featuring Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot and Likud party chairman and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alongside opposition leaders are displayed along a roadside in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, ahead of Israel’s upcoming general elections.