Israeli parties submit slates for October Knesset elections

What the report says

Israeli political parties have filed their candidate slates for the Knesset election scheduled for October 27, meeting a Tuesday deadline, according to Al Jazeera. Israeli media reported that 38 lists were submitted to the Central Elections Committee, which is set to review them before finalising the candidates on September 27.

Among the last major groups to file were Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party, and the Joint List, an alliance of Arab-majority parties. Al Jazeera said Likud’s slate has 35 candidates, with Netanyahu at the top and followed by senior ministers including Eli Cohen, Amir Ohana and Yariv Levin.

The report places the filing stage within a closely contested political environment. It said polls suggest no party is likely to win a majority outright, making smaller parties and coalition negotiations important to the eventual outcome. Al Jazeera also noted that opposition party Yashar was polling ahead of Likud in some surveys, based on reporting cited from Anadolu.

The article adds broader context that many Israelis are concerned about the state of democracy and the integrity of the election. A poll from the Israel Democracy Institute found that 70 percent of Jewish Israelis expressed concern about the election’s integrity, underscoring wider public unease as campaigning continues.