Israel’s Oct. 27 election will put rival positions on Palestinian statehood before voters, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposing it and Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas pressing Israel and the United States to recognize a state.
Voters choose party lists for 120 Knesset seats, then parties negotiate to form a governing coalition. The Associated Press (AP) reported that no party has ever won a Knesset majority alone.
A Sept. 21, 2025, statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said Netanyahu ruled out a Palestinian state west of the Jordan. In another post that day on X, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria and “the complete crushing of the ‘Palestinian’ terror authority.”
Ynet and The Times of Israel reported that on Aug. 22, 2026, Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, wrote on X that a government he formed would not establish a Palestinian state. His post responded to Abbas’ call for recognition.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett opposes Palestinian independence and supports settlement-building in the occupied West Bank, AP reported. Opposition leader Yair Lapid says a two-state solution is not viable in the coming years, but AP reported he opposes unilateral steps that would rule out a future Palestinian state.
Abbas called on Israel and the United States to recognize an independent Palestinian state at a Ra’am convention on Aug. 22, 2026, The Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Post reported. They said he argued the state was already recognized by most of the world.
Ra’am first joined a governing coalition in 2021, according to AP. Whether its call for recognition gains influence will depend on the seat distribution and coalition negotiations after the vote. The election is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026.
