Only two months remain until Israel’s parliamentary elections on October 27. According to the latest opinion poll, Benjamin Netanyahu is in serious trouble, with his popularity continuing to decline. Likud, Israel’s dominant right-wing party, is facing one of the most difficult elections in its history. Likud remains a powerful and disciplined political machine, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to say where the party ends and Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal power structure begins.
The party is being strained by internal disputes and regional uncertainties, while Netanyahu’s unpopularity could result in further losses for a party that currently holds only 24 seats. A telling finding from the latest poll is that the Yashar party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, is eleven points ahead, raising the prospect of yet another institutional deadlock after the election.
As Israel’s political elite attempts to redefine itself with the emergence of a third political force, the Zionist opposition could, for the first time, secure a parliamentary majority of 61 seats, enabling it to form a government without relying on the support of Arab parties. Such a development could fundamentally alter the dynamics of the electoral campaign between now and October 27.
