Story perspectives

Knesset Dissolved, Poll Puts Eisenkot Ahead of Netanyahu

7/23/2026

Center

Eisenkot Leads Poll

Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, was dissolved on July 20 2026, setting a national election for October 2026.
A Channel 12 poll released July 21 2026 showed retired army chief Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar! party projected to win the most seats, ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud.
Protesters filled Tel Aviv’s Habima Square demanding the government respect the Supreme Court’s authority.
44% of opposition voters would support an Arab-backed government if anti-Netanyahu bloc loses.

Left

Netanyahu Halts Primaries

Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, was dissolved on July 20, 2026, triggering a national election scheduled for October 2026.
Netanyahu is urging a party selection committee to cancel Likud primaries and reserve eight-to-ten slots, drawing legal challenges and accusations of eroding internal democracy.
The law abolished the TV and radio regulator, installing a Knesset-controlled authority in its hours.
Likud lawmaker David Bitan warned the selection committee would strip members of primary voting rights.

Blindspot

A Channel 12 poll released on July 21, 2026, indicated that retired army chief Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar! party would win the most seats, ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Center-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Left-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

After Yitzhak Rabin’s 1995 assassination, Shimon Peres called early elections that on 29 May 1996 became Israel’s first separate prime-minister ballot. Benjamin Netanyahu won the premiership by 29,457 votes, while Likud secured 32 Knesset seats and formed a coalition government. The 2026 Knesset dissolution echoes that 1996 power shift, reviving debates over party primaries and judicial authority.

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Eisenkot Leads Poll

Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, was dissolved on July 20 2026, setting a national election for October 2026.
A Channel 12 poll released July 21 2026 showed retired army chief Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar! party projected to win the most seats, ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud.
Protesters filled Tel Aviv’s Habima Square demanding the government respect the Supreme Court’s authority.
44% of opposition voters would support an Arab-backed government if anti-Netanyahu bloc loses.

1 / 4