Democracy & Elections

Lawfare Daily: The Israeli Elections—What Does it All Mean?

Natalie K. Orpett, Joel Braunold, Natan Sachs, Benjamin Wittes
Thursday, October 29, 2026, 7:00 AM

Joel Braunold, Benjamin Wittes, and Natan Sachs break down the results of the Israeli elections.

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For today's podcast, Executive Editor Natalie Orpett is joined by Natan Sachs of the Center for Middle East Policy, Joel Braunold of the Center Project, and Lawfare Editor in Chief Benjamin Wittes to talk about the Oct. 27 elections in Israel. After record turnout by Israeli voters, especially Arab Israelis, we have an outcome—but the implications are far from clear. They unpack what happened and the questions that remain: Whether longtime Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has a path to staying in power, whether opposition parties can stay unified, and whether there’s any prospect of a governing coalition or if we’re heading toward another round of elections. The future of Israeli politics is still very uncertain. They explain why.

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Natalie K. Orpett

Natalie K. Orpett

nkorpett
nkorpett.bsky.social
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Natalie Orpett is the executive editor of Lawfare and deputy general counsel of the Lawfare Institute. She was previously an attorney at the law firm Jenner & Block, where she focused on investigations and government controversies, and also maintained an active pro bono practice. She served as civilian counsel to a defendant in the Guantanamo Military Commissions for more than eight years.
Joel Braunold

Joel Braunold

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Joel Braunold is the Managing Director of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace.
Natan Sachs

Natan Sachs

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Dr. Natan Sachs is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington DC and an adjunct lecturer at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Until 2025, he was Senior Fellow and the Director of the Brookings Institution's Center for Middle East Policy in Washington DC. He publishes widely on Middle East affairs, on Israel's foreign policy, and Israeli domestic politics, and is a frequent media commentator on these issues. Sachs previously taught at Georgetown University as adjunct faculty, was a Hewlett Fellow at Stanford University, a visiting fellow at Tel Aviv University’s Dayan Center, and a Fulbright Fellow in Indonesia. He holds a B.A. from the Amirim Honors Program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University.
Benjamin Wittes

Benjamin Wittes

benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org
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Benjamin Wittes is editor in chief of Lawfare and a Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. He is the author of several books.

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