Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir whispers into the ear of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the last Knesset session in Jerusalem before its dissolution, on July 16, 2026. (Credit: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)
In a race against time before the Knesset dissolved overnight from July 16 to 17 ahead of legislative elections scheduled for Oct. 27, MPs rushed to pass a series of controversial bills, mostly generous to ultra-Orthodox parties and the far right. The legislative blitz drew strong criticism from opposition parties, which have vowed to repeal some of the measures if they win the election.As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struggles in the polls — with a Channel 12 survey placing Likud behind Gadi Eisenkot's party for the first time — the legislative push seems like his way of keeping his coalition partners on board. Dive deeper In Israel, Netanyahu’s options are narrowing ahead of the elections A radical coalition that held togetherFor now, Netanyahu has succeeded.His far-right allies repeatedly threatened to leave the...
In a race against time before the Knesset dissolved overnight from July 16 to 17 ahead of legislative elections scheduled for Oct. 27, MPs rushed to pass a series of controversial bills, mostly generous to ultra-Orthodox parties and the far right. The legislative blitz drew strong criticism from opposition parties, which have vowed to repeal some of the measures if they win the election.As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struggles in the polls — with a Channel 12 survey placing Likud behind Gadi Eisenkot's party for the first time — the legislative push seems like his way of keeping his coalition partners on board. Dive deeper In Israel, Netanyahu’s options are narrowing ahead of the elections A radical coalition that held togetherFor now, Netanyahu has succeeded.His far-right allies repeatedly threatened to leave the...
In infographics: How 4 months of Israeli attacks and war devastated Lebanon