With one month to go until Israel’s 27 October general election, there’s good news and bad news for Benjamin Netanyahu.

The long-serving Israeli leader continues to trail former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot when voters are asked to pick their preference for prime minister. And the opposition bloc – headed by Eisenkot’s centrist Yashar party – continues to lead Netanyahu’s coalition of right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties. There also appears to be a potentially significant enthusiasm gap between the two blocs: while three-quarters of supporters of the Netanyahu bloc say they…

At this critical time for UK-Israel relations, and the Middle East as a region, we share this paper to provide factual information and context to a complex conflict – providing analysis regarding October 7, the situation in Gaza, and the backdrop to previous peace processes and anti-Israel propaganda.

It is important context to the conflict that October 7 was the worst terrorist attack in the history of Israel, and was more akin to an invasion. The attack on Israel was subsequently supported by Iran’s regional proxies and set the stage for regional war. There is no doubt that the motivation of October 7…

The US-Israel conflict with Iran has seen multiple phases since initial hostilities began on 13 June 2025 with the 12-Day War. It has been shaped by the willingness or unwillingness of US-Israel allies to join the conflict – as it has been for Iran by the willingness or unwillingness of its allies and proxies to join the fray.

As of 29 August 2026 the war’s current status is that of open ended US economic sanctions, ‘economic D-Day’, in conjunction with the US blockage of the Strait of Hormuz causing inflationary pressure and economic hardship for Iran…

The Knesset was dissolved on 17 July – formally triggering the countdown to Israel’s general election on 27 October.

It will be a historic election: the Netanyahu government, which came to power in December 2022, is only the second in Israeli history to complete a full term in office. The outgoing 25th Knesset is also the first since 1988 to hold elections after a full four-year term…

With elections required by October, Israel faces its most consequential vote in decades.

On the surface, Israel’s general election race looks remarkably stable. With less than four months to go until an election must be held on 27 October, polls show the two big blocs – Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition of right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties and the more ideologically eclectic opposition – both short of a majority in the Knesset – but with the long-serving prime minister’s opponents much closer to the 61-seat finishing line…

Israelis vote this year in what many commentators view as the most consequential election in the Jewish state’s 78-year history. The election takes place against the backdrop of Israel’s worst-ever terror attack - and the resulting conflict with the Palestinians, as well as two unprecedented direct confrontations with Iran.

The election must be held by 27 October 2026, but it will likely come sooner with legislation to dissolve parliament now advancing through the Knesset. Analysts suggest the poll might be held in early September, with Netanyahu believed to be keen to avoid the elections falling too close to the anniversary of the 7 October attacks.

ELNET UK calls on the government to fast-track legislation and proscribe the IRGC without delay.

With every major UK ally having now acted, the case for the proscription is beyond question. The IRGC poses a direct, documented and escalating threat to people in the UK. The time for legislative delay has passed.

ELNET’s statement on the Iran war

The Iranian regime appears to have weathered the most challenging and widespread protests against its rule since the 1979 Islamic revolution. But it has done so only by engaging in an unprecedentedly brutal crackdown in which thousands have been killed and imprisoned – with reports suggesting that mass arrests are continuing even after the protests have, for now at least, been quelled. The ferocity of what has been termed “a state-ordered massacre” is an indication of not only the existential challenge which the regime faces, but also of its weakness and vulnerability…

The latest in our Explainer series examines the Trump administration's 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS), released on 5 December 2025, and its implications for Europe, Israel, and the Middle East.

This document sets out a clear "America First" vision, sharply diverging from previous administrations by downgrading Europe (criticised for insufficient defence spending, economic decline, and civilisational challenges including migration and loss of national identity) while presenting a markedly more positive assessment of the Middle East…

Last hostage returned home.

ELNET’s statement following the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, Australia.

The UK-Israel relationship stands at a crossroads two years on from the atrocities of October 7^th, the subsequent conflicts, and now a somewhat contradictory malleable yet resilient ceasefire in Gaza. Read about the work of our Centre for Strategic Dialogue and the 9th UK-Israel Dialogue here.

The latest in our Explainer series examines how lawfare is weaponised against Israel, and explores its definition, origins, examples and impact.

Lawfare attempts to turn political questions into legal rulings which can, in turn, provide a veneer of legality and credibility for boycotts of, and sanctions against, Israel. At a minimum, lawfare seeks to circumvent the hard graft of negotiation and the compromises required to come to an agreement resulting in a two-state solution. At worst, it attempts to delegitimise and, ultimately, destroy the State of Israel – a tactic which is self-evidently incompatible with the pursuit of a two-state solution.

The heinous terror attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester last week has highlighted once again the shocking rise in antisemitism in Britain following the 7 October atrocities and the ensuing conflict between Israel and Hamas. This is driven by a contemporary form of antisemitism – anti-Zionist antisemitism – which seeks to demonise and delegitimise the world’s only Jewish state. Its origins lay in a form of antisemitism developed in the Soviet Union, but it draws on and propagates traditional antisemitic tropes which have existed at least since Medieval times.This paper defines anti-Zionist antisemitism, explores its origins, and examines the contemporary examples and consequences of it.

Alongside France, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Luxembourg, Malta and Andorra, the UK has formally recognised a Palestinian state. The decision follows Sir Keir Starmer’s statement in July which announced Britain’s intention to do so at the UN General Assembly meeting this month. This briefing examines the UK’s decision, laying out the government’s arguments, reactions in Britain and Israel, and assessing the potential implications.

As UNGA continues in New York, with Prime Minister Netanyahu expected to speak in the next hour, Sir Tony Blair’s Gaza plan (to form an interim government in Gaza and end the war) has been briefed in further detail; here is what we know…

Amid growing tensions between Israel and Gulf countries, ELNET's Forum for Strategic Dialogue convened dozens of high-ranking experts and policymakers this week in Abu Dhabi for its fifth Europe-Middle East Forum, "Fostering Security and Innovation through Strategic Partnerships”…

ELNET UK’s latest paper explores the post 12-day war situation, concerning Iran’s nuclear ambitions. It explains the “snapback mechanism”, under United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2231 (2015), and how it allows automatic reimposition of UN sanctions (pre-2015 sanctions) on Iran for violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). It examines what will happen post 18 October 2025 when all the measures set out in resolution 223, pertaining to nuclear activities, expire.

Calls for a Gaza ceasefire intensified in Parliament, with David Lammy branding Israel’s new aid system “inhumane”, urging immediate UN-led relief. Tensions spiked over the Government’s proscription of Palestine Action, with a bloc of MPs accusing ministers of criminalising protest. In the Lords, a fierce debate on rising UK antisemitism and the Syria-Druze crisis underscored mounting regional and domestic pressures. Keir Starmer faced renewed demands to clarify Labour’s stance on Palestinian recognition.