About 7.3 million eligible Israeli voters are expected to vote on Tuesday (October 27) to elect the 26th Israeli Knesset (parliament). The 26th general parliamentary election, since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, is taking place exactly on its legally mandated, statutory date, as the Knesset has completed its full term this time.

As many as 38 registered parties are competing for seats in the 120-member legislature, though only around 11 are projected to clear the strict 3.25% electoral threshold required for parliamentary representation.

This election assumes immense significance because it is the first Israeli parliament since 1988 to complete a full four-year mandate without early dissolution. The vote follows years of intense societal turmoil, including contentious judicial reform debates, the traumatic security crisis following October 7, and protracted wartime conditions.…