Published: 22 October 2026
Last updated: 22 October 2026
Why is this election so important?
This election is being described by many opposition figures as the most consequential in the country’s 78-year history. At stake, critics argue, is the character of the state itself.
They fear that another victory for the right-wing and religious parties led by Benjamin Netanyahu would clear the way for fundamental changes to Israel’s system of government. These could weaken the judiciary and other institutional checks, alter the relationship between religion and state, entrench unequal public funding and deepen the divide between Jewish and Arab citizens.
The election will also determine whether Israel continues to organise itself around the expectation of perpetual war, what Netanyahu has called becoming a “super-Sparta”, or attempts to restore some form of political, economic and social normality.
Other disputes feed into this wider choice: the future of Haredi military exemptions, accountability for the October 7 attack, the role of the IDF as a people’s army and the growing burden placed on reservists and their families.
The election, however, is unlikely to change much for Palestinians. While another government may improve handling of extremist violence, no major candidate is proposing a significant change in Israel's policy on security or a Palestinian state.
READ MORE: Israel’s pivotal election: A referendum on the nation’s future identity
