Election news
Israel election news, 23 October 2026
The High Court bars parties from receiving live turnout counts from polling stations, change-bloc leaders reportedly plan a temporary Knesset speaker, Netanyahu attacks Winter and Eisenkot in an interview, a petition over fake online accounts reaches the Elections Committee, and the Haredi Public party says it rejected a Winter offer to withdraw.
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CourtsHigh Court rules polling-station staff may not pass live turnout counts to parties
The High Court of Justice made final a ruling it had signaled a day earlier. By a 2-1 vote, it said polling committee members and party observers may not digitally count the voters who actually voted at a station and send that figure to their party in real time. Justices Khaled Kabub and Ruth Ronen formed the majority. Justice David Mintz dissented. The ruling overturns a guideline from Din Livne, acting deputy director-general of the Central Elections Committee. The Israeli Democracy Guard association brought the petition and welcomed the result. Likud, represented by attorney Ilan Bombach, had argued that the counts help supervise the vote and encourage turnout. The Central Elections Committee will still publish turnout data at least four times a day, according to Ynet.
CoalitionChange-bloc leaders reportedly plan to name one of themselves temporary Knesset speaker
Channel 13 reported on its evening news that the leaders of the change bloc want Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana replaced before a new government forms. They have not agreed on a candidate. The emerging idea is to appoint one of the party leaders as a temporary speaker. Zman Yisrael, citing Channel 13, lists Gadi Eisenkot, Avigdor Liberman, Naftali Bennett and Yair Golan as the four whose parties would put forward a name. Replacing a sitting speaker normally takes 90 votes unless he resigns. Channel 13 says the leaders also differ on a law barring an indicted prime minister from serving. It reports that Liberman and Golan support it, while Eisenkot and Bennett have reservations. These are reports of plans. No party leader is quoted.
CampaignNetanyahu says a report of an Iran strike halted by Trump is "not correct" and criticizes Winter, Ben Gvir and Eisenkot
Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Channel 7 on Thursday. He called a report that Israel recently planned to strike Iran and that Donald Trump stopped it "not correct" and gave no more detail. He said that if Ofer Winter's party passes the threshold, "it goes to the left." He said Itamar Ben Gvir would be a senior minister in any government he forms, while criticizing him for what he called shooting inside the armored vehicle. He also said Israel cannot live with an Iranian nuclear program and told Eisenkot "we will die with it." This account comes from Zman Yisrael's summary of the interview. We did not open the full interview.
CourtsPetition over fake online accounts reaches the Central Elections Committee
According to Zman Yisrael, which cites a Haaretz investigation, accounts that took part in an Israeli influence campaign against Iran's regime now promote Netanyahu's election messaging. Of about 1,600 accounts identified last year as backing Reza Pahlavi, at least 185 have interacted with Netanyahu's accounts since the campaign began. A second study found 264 accounts echoing his messages. The Brandeis Institute and Fake Reporter petitioned the committee. Its chair, Justice Noam Sohlberg, ordered Netanyahu, Likud, Gila Gamliel and the Prime Minister's Office to respond by the end of Thursday. The Prime Minister's Office denied any link to the networks. Gamliel's office said it "never happened." We could not open the Haaretz article. No ruling had been reported as of this edition.
List changesHaredi Public party says it turned down Winter's offer to withdraw and back his list
According to Ynet, Ofer Winter, chair of Amcha Yisrael, proposed that Moti Leitner withdraw the Haredi Public party and back Winter's list. Leitner refused. Ynet says the offer came up in a meeting about a surplus-vote agreement. It says no role for Leitner was discussed. Leitner says his party speaks for Haredi workers and families and wants children to study core subjects and sit matriculation exams, and wants more Haredi military service and employment. Ynet reports that Leitner has said he will not withdraw despite pressure. In a Kol Chai radio interview on 22 October, Leitner said his party's internal polls give it two to three seats and that it will run to the end. This is his own claim. Israel National News (Hebrew) quoted him on 18 October saying the party will be "the election surprise." The same Ynet article says another new Haredi list, Tzeva Shachor, is also running and aims to pass the threshold.