A closer look at Israel’s principal parties in the upcoming election

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Israel heads to the polls on October 27 in its first election since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack, in what is seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Some seven million Israelis will be eligible to vote.Here are the main parties competing for seats in the parliament, or Knesset, among the 38 in total that registered ahead of the Tuesday evening deadline.

Likud (‘Consolidation’)-right

Leader: Netanyahu.Current parliamentary seats: 32 (out of 120).Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, having held the position for a total of almost 17 years since he was first elected in 1996.The US-raised Netanyahu, almost 77-years-old, is known as a wily political operator and savvy coalition builder, but in most polls Likud is running slightly behind.He has faced heavy criticism for not preventing Hamas’s October 7 attack, the deadliest in Israeli history. He has since launched massive military operations across the region including with the United States against Iran.