Israel’s election will be held on Oct. 27, coalition head says

JERUSALEM – Israel is set to hold a national election on Oct. 27, according to Prime Minister ​Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, its first since Hamas’ 2023 attack and the wars that ensued ⁠in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

The precise ballot date ‌had been unclear since ​the Israeli parliament voted in May to disband, raising the possibility the election could be held early.

However, coalition head ⁠Ofir Katz told a ‌parliamentary committee on ‌Sunday that the original Oct. 27 date set by law ⁠would be kept.

Successive surveys have suggested Netanyahu’s coalition of nationalist and religious ‌parties would lose the ‌ballot, though his political rivals still have no clear path to power ⁠and the political landscape may ​still shift.

Less ⁠than ​a year after a 2022 political comeback at the head of Israel’s most right-wing government to date, ⁠Netanyahu’s security credentials were left in tatters by Hamas’ surprise attack on Oct. ⁠7, 2023. Polls show many are unhappy with Netanyahu over the outcome of the Iran war.

It is ⁠rare for governments ‌in Israel to complete a ​full ‌four-year term. Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving ​leader and has proven himself an unmatched political survivor.

(Reporting by Maayan Lubell and Steve Scheer; Editing by Aidan Lewis)