Israel's top stories
Shas: We Continue to Back Netanyahu and Are Not Negotiating with Other Parties
Shas said that, on the instruction of the Council of Torah Sages, it continues to support Benjamin Netanyahu for forming the government, after he committed to pass the law regulating the status of yeshiva students. The party stressed that it is not negotiating with any other party, following various statements made in recent days.
Ben-Gvir to Petition Against Election Results and Demand Re-Election
Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben-Gvir announced that he will file a petition against the election results and demand that a repeat election be held. He claims that improper interference by foreign states and foreign funding skewed the results.
French judoka Teddy Riner has announced he will run in the presidential election in France scheduled for 2027. Riner, 37, won five Olympic medals, including three individual gold medals.
Rubio: US Ends Direct Military Aid to Israel; Economic Pressure on Iran 'Working'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States is ending direct military and economic aid to Israel, describing the move as a new stage in relations between the two countries. Rubio also said economic pressure on Iran is working well, so there is currently no need for large-scale military action.
Gadi Eisenkot and Avigdor Liberman, the leaders of the Change Bloc parties, have reached an agreement that Matan Kahana of the Yashar! party will be appointed Speaker of the 26th Knesset. Under the agreement, Roy Folkman will be appointed chair of the Arrangements Committee and Liberman will be appointed chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, with the slates to be brought to a plenum vote for approval.
Esti Yaniv on Matan Kahana: "He will get a plot in Mount Herzl with Arab votes"
Esti Yaniv, mother of Hillel and Yigal Yaniv, who were murdered in the Mount Herzl attack, spoke out against the emerging appointment of Matan Kahana as Knesset speaker with the support of the Arab parties. According to her, Kahana "will get a plot in Mount Herzl with Arab votes," and her children "got their plot because of the Arabs."
Lapid: "If Bennett and I are quiet - it's a sign that things are happening"
Yair Lapid said at a meeting of the Yesh Atid faction, a party that goes by Together (Beyachad), that his silence and that of Naftali Bennett signals that things are happening behind the scenes. Lapid added that this has been a rule operating in Israeli politics for 13 years.
Smotrich Calls on Matan Kahana to Refuse Knesset Speaker Post
Religious Zionism chairman Bezalel Smotrich called on Matan Kahana to refuse the post of Knesset Speaker as long as the appointment is backed by Arab parties. According to Smotrich, such an appointment is "illegitimate" and constitutes "moral bankruptcy".
Yossi Dagan calls for unity and for preventing a government dependent on parties that support terrorism
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan called on the parties to unite and prevent the formation of a government that would rely on parties supporting terrorism. According to him, such a government would endanger the country from within and undermine the will of the voter.
MK from Ra'am clarifies remarks on Hamas: "I did not say Hamas is a charity organization"
Knesset member Yasser Hujeirat of Ra'am clarified his remarks on Hamas after criticism of an interview he gave. He claimed his words were taken out of context and condemned the organization's crimes.
Liberman: Standing Behind Eisenkot, Not Seeking Rotation, Will Not Support a Government Relying on Ra'am and Hadash-Ta'al
Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman announced that he is standing behind Benny Gantz and Eisenkot and is not seeking a rotation. He said he will not lend a hand to any coalition that relies on Ra'am and the Joint List, and that a government can be formed within a reasonable time.
Yair Golan calls to form a government soon and not to disqualify the Arab parties
Democrats chairman Yair Golan called for a new government to be formed soon, and not to rule out the Arab parties as possible coalition partners. He said the government must be formed quickly, and the country needs it.
Elisha Miden to Stand for Knesset Swearing-In, Three Years After Battlefield Injury
MK Elisha Miden announced that he will stand on his feet during the swearing-in of allegiance to the Knesset, three years after he was seriously wounded in battle. According to him, he will do so despite the pain and the bleeding that has not stopped.
Ben-Gvir Appoints Yitzhak Kroizer as Chairman of Otzma Yehudit Faction
Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, chairman of Otzma Yehudit, appointed MK Yitzhak Kroizer as chairman of the faction in the 26th Knesset. Ben-Gvir said he gives Kroizer full trust.
Michal Feilan on Yaakov Bardugo's Entry to the Knesset and the Reactions to It
Channel 12 welfare reporter Michal Feilan criticized the entry of Yaakov Bardugo into the Knesset on behalf of Likud, on the day the Knesset was sworn in. She said she does not believe the man will enjoy a public salary.
Kiryat Shmona petitions High Court against government over business compensation
The Kiryat Shmona municipality petitioned the High Court of Justice against the government and the Tax Authority over the end of eligibility for compensation for businesses harmed in the war. The municipality demands extending the compensation period to at least the end of 2026 and canceling the demand to return advance payments.
Haredi Newspaper 'Yated Ne'eman': The Haredi Public Does Not Belong to the Right or the Left
The Haredi newspaper 'Yated Ne'eman' said the Haredi public does not belong to the right-wing bloc or the left, but constitutes a "bloc of Torah" only. The message was written close to the swearing-in day of the Knesset, against the backdrop of the crisis over the conscription law.
Yinon Magal and Haim Levinson attack the Haredim over joining the change bloc
Yinon Magal attacked the Haredim over the possibility of joining the change bloc, saying that surrendering to pressure would create a reality that is hard to change. Haim Levinson argued that the anger on the right toward the Haredim reveals hypocrisy, and asked whether Torah study is a supreme value.
Gadi Eisenkot has received a mandate to form a government and is working to establish a national emergency government, including by replacing the Knesset speaker. Leaders of the Change Bloc have not reached agreement on the path forward, and negotiations are underway with the Haredi parties.
Aviv Alush vs. Ayman Odeh: "Should be deported from here or jailed"
Actor Aviv Alush lashed out at MK Ayman Odeh after the latter stated that ending the occupation is a matter of time. Alush wrote that Odeh and his colleagues are openly supporters of terror, and that in a proper situation they should be deported or behind bars.
"The Avengers" won: California billionaire tax defeated
California voters rejected at the ballot box a proposal to impose a one-time 5% tax on the wealth of the state's billionaires, after a campaign worth hundreds of millions of dollars against it. Google co-founder Sergey Brin led the fight and invested more than $100 million in it.
Trumpets, Robots and Harel Skaat: Ceremony to Swear In the 26th Knesset Held Today
The swearing-in ceremony for the 26th Knesset will be held today at the Knesset building in Jerusalem, attended by President Yitzhak Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. At 16:00 Herzog will open the session, and the 120 Knesset members will declare "I pledge."
Ahead of the Knesset Swearing-In: Talks in the Change Bloc
The Eisenkot bloc is preparing initial legislative steps even before the government is formed, including repealing three controversial laws through special committees. The mandate given to Eisenkot grants his faction the chairmanship of the organizing committee, which would allow it to advance expedited legislation.
Netanyahu tried to reach out directly to Haredi rabbis and was refused
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to speak directly with Haredi rabbis in an attempt to prevent the Haredi parties from joining a government led by Gadi Eisenkot. His request was met with refusal.
Rubio: Israel Can Buy US Weapons Without US Funding
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel is wealthy enough to buy weapons from the US without American funding. According to him, the move was proposed by the Israelis themselves.
Netanyahu Ally Reached Out to Mansour Abbas in Attempt to Persuade Him Not to Back an Eisenkot-Led Government
Nathan Ashel, an ally of Benjamin Netanyahu, contacted Ra'am party chairman Mansour Abbas several times before the elections, during them and after them, in an attempt to persuade him not to support the formation of a government led by Gadi Eisenkot. The contacts continued alongside Netanyahu's public attack on the Arab parties.
US President Donald Trump announced the end of military aid to Israel, worth about $3.8 billion a year, by the end of the year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded that the shift "from aid to partnership reflects the strength and sophistication of the relationship."
President Donald Trump cast doubt on the credibility of the midterm election results in the United States, in which Republicans lost control of both houses of Congress. Trump wondered how the polls had been so wrong and claimed that early voting and voting machines had affected the results, without presenting evidence of irregularities.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir claimed in an interview with 103FM radio that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is exerting pressure on Police Commissioner Danny Levy and is "blackmailing" him over alleged building violations at his home. According to the minister, the commissioner changed his policy after a year and a half.
Trump Casts Doubt on Midterm Election Results
U.S. President Donald Trump cast doubt on the results of the midterm elections, in which the Republican Party suffered a defeat. He asked whether anyone truly believes the elections were fair and valid.
