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The Daily

The Election That Will Define Israel’s Future

October 22, 2026 • 33m

Summary

⏱️ 12 min read

Overview

This episode of The Daily examines the upcoming Israeli election through the lens of two contrasting candidates: incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and challenger Gadi Eisenkot. The election is viewed as existential by Israelis on both sides, centering on issues of democracy, security, military service equity, and the future character of the Jewish state—rather than Palestinian statehood, which neither side supports.

The Stakes: An Existential Election

Jerusalem Bureau Chief David Halpfinger sets the stage for Israel's most consequential election in recent memory. With the country split roughly 50-50 between Netanyahu's government bloc and the opposition, many Israelis feel this election will determine whether they even have a future in the country. The campaign centers on the fate of Israeli democracy, fairness in military service, and what kind of Jewish state Israel will become—not on the Palestinian conflict, which both sides have largely taken off the table.

  • This is Halpfinger's fourth Israeli election coverage, following three inconclusive elections previously
  • Many Israelis view this as the most important, fateful, and consequential election in their country's history
  • The race is split roughly 50-50 between Netanyahu's government bloc and the opposition bloc
  • For many in the opposition, if the election doesn't go their way, they might not see a future for themselves in Israel
  • The idea of a Palestinian state as something that could be broached anytime soon is a non-starter for the vast majority of Israelis
" I've never covered one in which so many people feel like this election is the most important, the most fateful, the most consequential election in their country's history. "
" For the vast majority of Israelis, the idea of a Palestinian state as something that could be broached anytime soon is really a non-starter. And it's true that it may be like the only thing that left and right do agree on. "

The October 7th Shadow and Democratic Crisis

The election takes place against the backdrop of both the October 7th attacks and Netanyahu's controversial 2023 judicial overhaul that sparked massive protests. The judicial reform proposal would have neutralized the only check on government power, sending hundreds of thousands into the streets. These warnings about internal division were vindicated when October 7th occurred, yet Netanyahu has refused to accept responsibility or allow a National Commission of Inquiry—a major campaign issue.

  • In early 2023, Netanyahu's government proposed a democratic overhaul that would neuter the judiciary, the only real counterweight to government power
  • Hundreds of thousands protested because the proposal would disempower the one check and balance on Netanyahu's right-wing government
  • Warnings emerged that Israel's enemies were noticing how internally divided the country was
  • Netanyahu refuses to support a National Commission of Inquiry into October 7th failures, unlike almost every other Israeli prime minister who has faced one
  • The opposition's first priority would be appointing a commission to investigate what went wrong on October 7th
" Netanyahu basically says that he didn't get the phone call early enough on October 7th to actually do anything about it. And if he had, everything would have been different. "

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