Key Figures

Israel’s longest-serving prime minister (current term since December 2022; also served 1996–1999 and 2009–2021). His ongoing corruption trial covers three cases: Case 1000 (alleged receipt of gifts worth roughly $260,000), Case 2000 (an alleged quid pro quo arrangement with Yediot Aharonot publisher Arnon Mozes), and Case 4000 (bribery/fraud/breach-of-trust allegations tied to the Bezeq–Walla affair).

Netanyahu denies all wrongdoing and describes the cases as politically motivated. Prosecutors completed their final cross-examination of him on June 16, 2026, and his own testimony concluded June 24, 2026, after 98 hearings over 18 months — the trial now moves to further witness hearings. The judges have reaffirmed a recommendation first made back in June 2023 that prosecutors drop the Case 4000 bribery charge specifically — not a new suggestion, but restated around the June 2026 testimony’s end; the recommendation is explicitly not a ruling, and prosecutors have not adopted it. His defense says if the charge stays, the trial could run into 2028. He submitted a formal pardon request on November 30, 2025 (via attorney Amit Hadad). He also faces an outstanding International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued in November 2024.

A largely ceremonial head of state, but with two concretely important roles right now: deciding on Netanyahu’s pardon request, and — after the October election — assigning the mandate to form the next government. He has so far rebuffed the pardon request “at least for now,” instead encouraging plea-deal/arbitration talks, and has said he’ll weigh the decision solely by “the good of the state.” US President Donald Trump has publicly pushed for a pardon, adding an unusual layer of foreign pressure to the decision.

Heads Israel’s judiciary and authored the High Court’s unanimous (7–0) December 14, 2025 ruling annulling the government’s dismissal of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, which also fined the government roughly ₪90,000 (about $28,000) in petitioners’ costs. As Supreme Court President during a period when the court has repeatedly been in direct conflict with the government over the judicial overhaul and the AG’s status, he’s one of the more consequential non-elected figures in this cycle regardless of how the election itself turns out.

The government voted to dismiss her; the High Court struck the dismissal down 7–0 on December 14, 2025, ruling the process procedurally flawed (the government had removed a required step involving a public-professional selection committee). She remains in office. The government describes her as an obstructionist blocking its agenda; critics describe her as one of the last independent checks on executive power. Itamar Ben Gvir (Otzma Yehudit) has made her removal a condition of rejoining any future coalition. (Sources indicate more than one dismissal attempt and court intervention across late 2025–2026; treat the exact sequence as evolving.)

Israel’s top military officer since March 5, 2025, the 24th person to hold the post. Not a political figure and not a candidate, but a relevant name to know: the military’s posture on the Haredi conscription dispute — the issue that fractured the outgoing coalition — runs through his office, and the IDF’s conduct in the Gaza/Lebanon/Iran-linked conflicts is a live topic in every bloc’s platform.

The Supreme Court justice who chairs the committee actually administering the October 27 vote — ballot rules, candidate-list eligibility, and this cycle’s new ban on parties tracking in real time who has voted. A distinctly non-partisan role, though the committee itself has seen some turnover this cycle: its director-general, Orly Adas, announced her resignation around May 1, 2026 — reportedly over fears of political incitement against her, a characterization not every outlet echoes — with an acting replacement named May 10 and her actual departure following in July. Day-to-day election administration is a separate story from the political horse-race covered elsewhere on this site.