Israel votes on 27 October with the conscription of seminary students at the centre of the campaign

8 October 2026

Israel's parliamentary election is set for 27 October 2026, after the Knesset voted to dissolve itself in May 2026.
The military draft of ultra-Orthodox seminary students has become one of the sharpest divides in the campaign, with large protests on both sides.
Israel's Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that there was no legal basis for the exemption of seminary students from military service, and no law has since been passed to restore it.
Degel HaTorah is one of two factions in the United Torah Judaism alliance, which won seven seats in the 2022 election.
United Torah Judaism ministers resigned from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in 2025, though the bloc has at times supported the coalition since.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot are among those challenging Netanyahu, and Yair Golan leads the Democrats.
About a third of Israel's roughly 1.45 million Haredim belong to the Lithuanian community.