Israel sets October 27 election; Netanyahu faces voter judgment after Gaza war

Israel's parliament, the Knesset, said on Sunday that national elections will be held on October 27, the last date permitted by law. The current Knesset is set to end its term on July 17, allowing the ruling coalition to complete a full four-year term for the first time in decades. The Knesset stated that there is no need to pass a dissolution law since the next election is already scheduled by law.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 76, already Israel's longest-serving premier, has announced his intention to run again, saying he "intends to win" what could be the defining contest of his political career. In recent days, his government – one of the most right-wing coalitions in Israeli history – has been rushing to pass a series of bills to strengthen his alliance and enter the election from a position of strength.

Netanyahu has said he plans to form a "broad national government" after the election, rather than a right-wing or left-wing government dependent on Arab parties, signaling an attempt to reframe his electoral pitch around national unity instead of ideology. However, recent polls show a majority of Israelis want him out of office, with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot emerging as his main rival.

A poll by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that over 92% of Israelis believe Iran won the Middle East war, and support for Netanyahu's premiership dropped from 40.5% in early March to 29.4% in June. Public opinion has turned critical of the ceasefire that ended the war Israel and the US launched against Iran in late February, leading to a deal between Tehran and Washington seen as unfavorable to Israel.

Anger also persists over the security failures surrounding the October 7 attacks, which continues to weigh on Netanyahu's standing. Voter sentiment is expected to be influenced by a bitter dispute over mandatory military service for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men. Netanyahu's key allies have threatened to topple the government unless their constituents are exempted, while the military and much of the public argue broad enlistment is necessary after years of wars.

Other flashpoints include judicial reforms Netanyahu initiated before the Gaza war, his ongoing corruption trials, and uncertainty over post-war governance in Gaza. The wars against Hezbollah and Iran have created a politically complicated backdrop. Netanyahu has said that the government he envisions after elections would help complete Israel's regional ambitions: "After we have removed the Iranian existential threat, the broad national government can make peace within ourselves, deal with the remnants of the Iranian axis and reap the fruits of our victory in political agreements like the one we are making with Lebanon – and there are a few more on the way."