Israel Holds Oct. 27 Election as Netanyahu and Rivals Struggle for 61 Seats
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 25
Israel Holds Oct. 27 Election as Netanyahu and Rivals Struggle for 61 Seats
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 25
Summary
Oct. 27 will bring Israel’s first national election since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, with Benjamin Netanyahu facing a broad opposition led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot.
61 seats in the 120-member Knesset is the threshold to govern, but polls suggest neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor his opponents are likely to reach it cleanly.
Eisenkot’s clearest route would be a fragile anti-Netanyahu coalition that may need support from Arab parties, a politically harder sell since the 2023 attack and Gaza war.
Netanyahu’s camp still hopes electoral math can help, but unlike in 2022—when his bloc won 64 seats after more than 200,000 opposition votes were wasted—polls show allies again below a majority.
Deadlock could leave Israel headed toward another coalition impasse or even a sixth election since 2019, while Netanyahu stays on as caretaker prime minister.
Can Benny Eisenkot unite a deeply fractured opposition to reach 61 seats, or is Israel doomed to another cycle of political paralysis?
If the opposition shares Netanyahu's hardline stance on Palestinian statehood, will changing the prime minister actually alter Israel's future trajectory?
With the election just days away, could a tiny fringe party failing to reach the electoral threshold unexpectedly save Netanyahu's political career?