Tamar Hermann is an Israeli political scientist specializing in tracking public opinion, particularly regarding national security issues. She currently works as academic director at the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute, editor-in-chief of
Yaakov Katz is an Israeli-American author and journalist who formerly worked as editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, where he continues to write a weekly column.
Amit Segal, a leading Israeli journalist and television personality, is the chief political analyst for both Channel 12 News and the country’s most-read newspaper, Israel Hayom.
Brief Analysis
Join us for an expert conversation on Israel's historic October 27 elections. Watch live starting at 10:00 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Thursday, October 15, 2026.
Israeli voters head to the polls on October 27, and the stakes are exceptionally high. In the first election since Hamas’s terrorist assault three years ago and the ensuing multifront war, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu faces an opposition bloc led by former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot. Multiple urgent issues are on the ballot, including the Iran war, unresolved conflict on many fronts, military service for ultraorthodox Jews, and violence by extremist settlers in the West Bank. In broader terms, the vote will have sweeping implications for the future of Israel’s democracy and its relationships with Europe, the United States, and its neighbors throughout the Middle East.
To better understand this historic election and its crucial domestic and foreign policy stakes, The Washington Institute is pleased to announce a virtual Policy Forum with leading Israeli political analysts and journalists, to be moderated by Ziegler Distinguished Fellow David Makovsky.
Tamar Hermann is a senior research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute and academic director of the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research. A distinguished political scientist, she has spent years tracking Israeli public opinion, particularly on national security issues.
Amit Segal, a leading Israeli journalist and television personality, is the chief political analyst for both Channel 12 News and the country’s most-read newspaper, Israel Hayom. Among other roles, he anchors Israel’s Meet the Press show on Channel 12.
The Policy Forum series is made possible through the generosity of the Winkler Lowy Foundation.
