ISRAEL VOTES Briefing: October 2026

With less than two weeks to go until Israel’s election day, polls are predicting a photo-finish with Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition and the opposition “change bloc” caught in a tight race. Predictions of a “hung Knesset” – where neither side is able to assemble the 61 seats needed for a majority – have brought comparisons with the April 2019 general election. It was the first general election in the Jewish state’s history which resulted in deadlock, with both Netanyahu and the opposition failing to form a government, precipitating a snap election five months later. That result too was inconclusive, forcing Israel into a further three elections over the next three years.

So what are the polls showing, how are the opposing blocs reacting, and who might actually have the edge?