Briefing, October 18, 2026
What changed in Israel's 2026 election that day, in a few sentences. Each sentence links the report it rests on.
Polls
With ten days remaining before the October 27 Knesset election, four recent polls show Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party leading Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud, while neither the Zionist opposition nor Netanyahu's bloc holds a majority. The ForwardJerusalem Post
According to The Forward, Prime Minister Netanyahu and coalition parties are losing support heading into the election, while Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party is rising in polls. The Forward
Beyond the campaign
Netanyahu stated that he is unsure about an election victory but will not retire, claiming that an alternate government led by Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, and Avigdor Liberman would depend on Arab parties. Jerusalem Post
The Yashar party criticized Netanyahu's initial silence after media commentator Yinon Magal called Eisenkot a monkey, prompting Netanyahu to condemn the remark as highly inappropriate while accusing opponents of despising Likud voters. HaaretzTimes of Israel
Meanwhile, police are investigating Otzma Yehudit lawmaker Kroizer and the party's director-general on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and helping a suspect escape in the West Bank settlement of Mitzpe Yericho. Haaretz
Following a West Bank settler attack on a Washington Post photojournalist, The Democrats leader Yair Golan visited the reporter in the hospital, while President Isaac Herzog apologized and Netanyahu's office cautioned against drawing conclusions before inquiries conclude. Times of IsraelHaaretz