Israeli Elections: Is Netanyahu’s Time Finally Up? Interview with Joshua Leifer – 14 July 2026

From The Debrief with Debra Shushan

An official date of October 27 has been set for Israel’s crucial parliamentary election. While the current governing coalition is set to become the first in decades to complete a full four-year term, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s electoral fortunes appear dim. Haaretz columnist Joshua Leifer joined The Debrief today for a fascinating discussion of the current state of Israeli electoral politics.

The topics we discussed included:

• Netanyahu as the continuing focus of the election: With multiple wars raging and the traumas of October 7th ongoing, rival camps are defined by their pro-Bibi and anti-Bibi positioning
• The surge by former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and his Yashar party: Josh shared insights regarding Eisenkot’s non-charismatic populist appeal, his Mizrahi background and roots in Israel’s “periphery,” and his personal losses during the Gaza war
• Arab parties: Why the four parties led by Palestinian citizens of Israel have not consolidated into a Joint List and what the electoral repercussions might be
• A Place for Us All: The new political party launched by leaders of the Standing Together movement and what impact it could have on the election
• Haredi draft: The rage in the ultra-Orthodox sector over the failure of the Netanyahu government to facilitate an exemption for men engaged in Torah study has created a major rift in the pro-Bibi camp
• Trump factor: Trump loves a winner and right now, Netanyahu isn’t looking like one. Will Trump operatives go so far as to make public overtures to the anti-Bibi camp?
• Election integrity and avoiding a January 6 redux: How the Netanyahu government may try to intimidate Arab voters and what can be done to ensure a fair election and peaceful transfer of power

Watch the interview here.

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