Some groups stood by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party, but support fell off among others. Turnout was also a striking factor in the election.

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Likud projected to be largest party; Jewish-led anti-Netanyahu bloc short of a majority unless its leaders violate campaign pledges not to partner with Arab parties, which are set to make unprecedented gains

On October 20, 2026, a week before Israel’s elections, dozens of men were detained on suspicion of evading the draft – arrests that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called “unacceptable.” The young men attend ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, religious schools, whose students were long exempt from the military service mandatory for most Israelis. A 2024 court ruling […]

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