# Israel's politics stayed right even after Oct. 7

> Three years after Hamas's attack, Israeli society has shifted further right, but the change began years before and the electoral picture remains fractured.
- Title: Israel's politics stayed right even after Oct. 7 · TIME
- Summary: Three years after Hamas's attack, Israeli society has shifted further right, but the change began years before and the electoral picture remains fractured…
- Keywords: israel, october 7 2023, hamas, gaza, palestinian territories, elections, benjamin netanyahu, two-state solution, middle east, news, world, Israel's
- Source: TIME — https://time.com/article/2026/10/07/how-oct-7-changed-israel
- Author: Dahlia Scheindlin
- Published: 2026-10-07T14:30:50.176+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: israel, october 7 2023, hamas, gaza, palestinian territories, elections, benjamin netanyahu, two-state solution, middle east, news, world
## Two sides, same conclusion
Israeli right-wingers saw October seventh as proof Gaza withdrawal caused disaster. Israeli left-wingers saw it as proof that military rule over Palestinians inevitably leads to violence.
## The world changed, Israel less so
The October seventh, 2023 attack catalyzed devastating conflict throughout the region. But within Israel, political sentiments have changed surprisingly little since then.
## Cataclysmic changes across the region
The war in Gaza became Israel's longest war. A ceasefire with Lebanon from 2006 to 2023 ended when Hezbollah fired on Israel the day after Hamas's attack.
## Israelis' collective toll
For two years, many Israelis went from demonstration to demonstration demanding their government prioritize a deal with Hamas to release Israeli hostages.
## National mood deteriorates
Since 2023, Israel has seen record levels of emigration and growing international isolation. Sixty-one percent of Israelis told pollsters the national mood is poor.
## The shift began before October seventh
In December 2022, support for a two-state solution hit a historic low at 39 percent of Israelis. Among Jewish respondents, just 34 percent supported two states.
## Rightward drift accelerates
In 2010, 71 percent of Israelis supported a two-state solution. By mid-2024, Jews were twice as likely to support a single Israeli-dominated unequal state as two states.
## Self-reinforcing cycle
As Israelis became more right-wing, elected leaders took ever-more radical positions such as supporting settlement expansion. In 2019, Prime Minister Netanyahu began referring to extending sovereignty over parts of the West Bank.
## Peace advocates hold steady
The number of Israeli Jews who self-describe as left-wing has barely shifted. About 20 percent of the total population define themselves as left-wing, committed to peace via diplomacy.
## Electoral contradiction
Polls show voters deeply divided. Netanyahu's far-right coalition is not doing well, with most mainstream polls showing a consistent majority for opposition parties.
## Opposition leaders exclude Arab parties
Opposition leaders Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman insist that parties representing Arab citizens must not be part of a coalition after October seventh.
## Arab Israelis want a seat at the table
A large majority, nearly three-quarters of Arab citizens of Israel, want an Arab party to join Israel's governing coalition, according to polling by the Moshe Dayan Center.
## Netanyahu could still govern
Netanyahu faces corruption trials and presided over failures to prevent October seventh. Yet he could still form the next government if the opposition cannot, continuing occupation and wars.
## Key takeaway

Israeli political attitudes hardened toward the right before October seventh, 2023, and have continued that trend since, leaving the country divided ahead of elections.