Israel’s Watershed Election: Voters Assess Netanyahu’s Legacy Amid Regional Conflict

Haifa, Israel; and Boston | Oct. 23, 2026, 5:45 p.m. ET | 1 min read

Israelis head to the polls on Tuesday, Oct. 27, for the country’s sixth national election since 2019. The vote marks the first opportunity for Israel’s electorate to choose a new parliament since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and the wars that followed in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.

Much has transpired over the past three years. The Iran war, which began in late February with a surprise attack by the United States and Israel, remains unresolved. Large parts of the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon lie in rubble, fueling global criticism of the Israeli military’s conduct. Israel’s relationship with the United States is under strain, and the Israeli-occupied West Bank has seen a spate of violent attacks by Jewish settlers against Palestinians.

In many respects, the election will serve as a referendum on Benjamin Netanyahu, the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history. Mr. Netanyahu’s critics hope to hand him a clear defeat, yet the opposition remains far from unified, and polls indicate that neither side is likely to secure an absolute majority in Tuesday’s contest.

From Haifa, in northern Israel, The Christian Science Monitor’s special correspondent Ilan Ben Zion recently joined international desk editor Matthew Bell in Boston to discuss Israel’s elections.

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