Likud

Stories

Israel's Knesset dissolves, setting October 27 election

Largest party, seeking to retain power

Israel's parliament voted 62-0 overnight into Friday to dissolve itself, triggering a national election on October 27. Only coalition members voted; the opposition stayed out. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voted to end his own government.

Updated Jul 17

Bennett and Lapid merge parties to challenge Netanyahu in 2026 vote

Rule Changes

Governing party led by Netanyahu

Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, former Israeli prime ministers, briefly removed Benjamin Netanyahu from power in 2021. On April 26, they announced a merger of their parties into a slate called 'Together, Led by Bennett.' Netanyahu responded within hours. He posted a video showing the pair's 2021 coalition-signing ceremony with Arab party leader Mansour Abbas, captioned 'They did it once, they will do it again.'

Updated May 31