The basics

Israel Election 2026 Guide: The Government and the Opposition

Who sits in Netanyahu's coalition, what split it, and how the opposition re-formed before the October 2026 vote.

By Michael Osborne · Updated 9 October 2026

The short answer

Benjamin Netanyahu's 37th government took office on 29 December 2022 with 64 seats. Its coalition parties are Likud, Shas, United Torah Judaism, Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit and Noam. This page covers what split the coalition, including the Haredi draft, and how the opposition re-formed before the October 2026 vote.

The 37th government in brief

Benjamin Netanyahu's 37th government took office on 29 December 2022 with 64 seats. Sources differ on whether it is the first government to finish a full term since 1973, or in 53 years. The 25th Knesset is the first to serve a full four-year term since 1988. It got there while losing and regaining partners, fighting a war on several fronts, and splitting over the Haredi draft.

At the start it held 64 seats: Likud 32, Shas 11, United Torah Judaism 7, and the 14 won by the joint list of Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit and Noam. Otzma and Noam split from Religious Zionism a few weeks later. This article explains who is in the coalition, what has divided it, and how the opposition re-formed before this vote.

Who is in the coalition

Party	Leader	Where it stands now
Likud	Benjamin Netanyahu	Runs the government. Won 32 seats in 2022. Gideon Sa'ar's New Hope agreed to merge into it in 2025, but the House Committee had not approved the merger as of July
Shas	Aryeh Deri	Left its cabinet posts in July 2025 over the draft but stayed in the coalition. Gave up Knesset committee chairs in October 2025
United Torah Judaism	Yaakov Asher now heads the slate	Quit the government in July 2025 over the draft. Its list did not split in July 2026. On 5 Sept Gafni and Maklev were dropped from the list, and on 8 Sept Porush and Stark announced a third component, Chomat Torat Yisrael. UTJ still filed one slate with three components (Degel, Agudat Yisrael and Chomat Torat Yisrael)
Religious Zionism	Bezalel Smotrich	Smotrich is Finance Minister. Running with Moshe Feiglin's Zehut in a technical bloc
Otzma Yehudit	Itamar Ben-Gvir	Left in January 2025 over the Gaza ceasefire and returned in March 2025. Ben-Gvir is National Security Minister
Noam	Avi Maoz	Left the government in March 2025. Running alone as Noam for Israel

Other key ministers: Yariv Levin (Justice and Deputy PM), Israel Katz (Defense, since November 2024, when he replaced Yoav Gallant), Gideon Sa'ar (Foreign), Nir Barkat (Economy), Yoav Kisch (Education), Miri Regev (Transportation).

Coalition size. The government's formal base shrank when the Haredi parties left it in 2025. No source gives a clean current seat count. What is clear is that it lost a reliable majority on the draft. In May 2026 Netanyahu told the Haredi parties he lacked the votes to pass the exemption bill.

The fights that defined the term

Judicial overhaul. The plan was proposed in January 2023 and set off mass protests. The reasonableness amendment passed in July 2023. The Supreme Court struck it down 8-7 on 1 January 2024. Justice Minister Yariv Levin has boycotted Court President Isaac Amit since Amit took office in January 2025. Before the Knesset dissolved, the coalition pushed a media-regulation law (passed 53-48) and bills aimed at the attorney general. Check the final status of the attorney general bill before citing it.

October 7 and the inquiry. There is no state commission of inquiry. The coalition advanced a bill for a political commission instead. It passed a first reading 59-0 after an opposition boycott and is now frozen. The October Council, a group of bereaved families, says the coalition is burying the truth.

Gaza. A ceasefire under the Trump plan took effect on 10 October 2025. Hamas released the 20 living hostages on 13 October. The last body of a hostage was recovered on 26 January 2026. The second phase, covering disarmament, governance and reconstruction, is stalled.

Iran. A 12-day war in June 2025 was followed by a second war that began on 28 February 2026. A ceasefire in April and a memorandum in June did not hold, according to Wikipedia. The current status is unclear and worth checking against today's news.

The Haredi draft. The High Court ruled 9-0 in June 2024 that yeshiva students must be drafted. Of more than 79,000 conscription orders issued since then, only 2,100 men who got an order have enlisted (Times of Israel, 24 May 2026). Shas and UTJ rejected the coalition's latest exemption bill on 24 May 2026. The Knesset later passed laws protecting Haredim from conscription before it dissolved. This issue pulled the government apart more than any other.

Netanyahu's trial and pardon request. The trial began in 2020. Netanyahu asked for a pardon in November 2025. On 26 April 2026 President Herzog said he would decide only after plea-deal efforts are exhausted. I did not find newer news on this, so check it.

Who is in the opposition

The opposition looked very different at the start of the term. In 2022 Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid won 24 seats and led it. Gantz's National Unity held 12. Both have been reshuffled.

Yashar (Gadi Eisenkot). The former army chief left National Unity in mid-2025 and founded Yashar on 16 September 2025. It has led or tied for the lead in most polls since the summer.
Together, or B'Yachad (Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid). Bennett's new party and Yesh Atid announced a merger on 26 April 2026. Bennett heads the list. Each side can split off after the election. Yesh Atid got 12 of the first 29 slots.
The Democrats (Yair Golan). Labor and Meretz merged in 2024. Golan, a former deputy chief of staff, leads them.
Yisrael Beytenu (Avigdor Liberman). Has run on its own, urging the opposition to pool votes.
Blue and White (Benny Gantz). Polls near 1%, well under the threshold. Merger talks with Hendel and Erdan collapsed.
Reservists-Economic (Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelekha). Hendel's reservist party, now joined with Zelekha's New Economic Party. It sits in neither camp.
Joint List and Ra'am. The Arab parties reunited partly: Hadash, Ta'al and Balad again run together, and Ra'am runs separately.

One point of detail: the Knesset dissolved on 17 July 2026 with the election set for 27 October.

What each side says it will do

No bloc has a clear path to 61 in the polls. The coalition question comes down to who will sit with whom.

Netanyahu wants a broad national government that includes the Haredim and the far right.
Ben-Gvir refused Netanyahu's push (reported 28 Aug 2026) to unite with Smotrich, who was open to an alliance. He wants only a right-wing government.
Smotrich runs with Zehut and treats the Haredim as future partners. He says a coalition must back his judicial plan.
Bennett wants a Zionist government that does not rely on Arab parties. He ties his coalition to a draft law and has said he would not sit with the Haredim.
Eisenkot says he will not sit under Netanyahu. He says Ra'am "in its current form" will not be in his government.
Golan wants Ra'am inside the opposition bloc.
Liberman rules out Shas, UTJ and the Arab parties.
Hendel says he will back only a Zionist government with a conscription law, and not one built on Haredi or Arab votes.
Haredi parties. Maariv's Haredi sources say they plan to sit in opposition for the first year and not recommend a PM at first. Reports are informal, not a formal decision.

The Haredi position is the hinge. If Shas and UTJ stay out, the coalition cannot reach 61 without a new partner. If they come in, the opposition side faces the draft question it is campaigning on.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

When did Netanyahu's 37th government take office?

Benjamin Netanyahu's 37th government took office on 29 December 2022 with 64 seats: Likud 32, Shas 11, United Torah Judaism 7 and the 14 won by the joint Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit and Noam list.

Which parties are in the Israeli opposition in 2026?

The page lists Yashar under Gadi Eisenkot, Together under Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, The Democrats under Yair Golan, Yisrael Beytenu, Blue and White, Reservists-Economic, and the Arab parties, the Joint List and Ra'am.

Why did the Haredi parties leave the Israeli government?

The Haredi draft split the coalition. United Torah Judaism quit the government in July 2025 over it. Shas left its cabinet posts in July 2025 but stayed in the coalition. The page calls the draft the issue that pulled the government apart most.

When did Yashar and Together form?

Gadi Eisenkot founded Yashar on 16 September 2025 after leaving National Unity. Bennett's new party and Yesh Atid announced their merger as Together on 26 April 2026. Bennett heads the list.

Cite this page: The Israel Gazette. “Israel Election 2026 Guide: The Government and the Opposition.” Updated 9 October 2026. https://israelgazette.com/election/israel-election-2026-guide-the-government-and-the-opposition/

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