Benjamin Netanyahu's repeated public affirmations that he will lead Likud into Israel's scheduled October 27, 2026, legislative elections have anchored trader expectations that he will remain in the race past the July 31 cutoff. His coalition's recent submission of a bill to dissolve the Knesset and control the electoral calendar, potentially advancing the vote to early September, signals active preparation rather than withdrawal. Recent polls showing Likud trailing a new Bennett-Lapid alliance have not prompted any announced exit, coalition defections, or legal developments that would force resignation before the deadline. The absence of no-confidence votes or major internal fractures in the past month reinforces the view that Netanyahu intends to contest the proportional-representation contest under current conditions.