Election news
Israel election news, 25 October 2026
The Elections Committee chair fines Yashar over letters styled as draft orders, party leaders set out red lines in Saturday night interviews, Ben Gvir says Likud has chosen a government with Eisenkot, and the opposition holds a rally for a state commission of inquiry. Also from Friday: the committee chair orders Likud to pull signs showing Eisenkot with Abbas and Tibi, rules that bot accounts need disclosure, Achi leaves the race, Limor Livnat backs Bennett, and Ben Gvir warns supporters.
Election news only. Each item links to its source. Corrections: about page.
CourtsElections Committee chair fines Yashar over letters styled as draft orders
Justice Noam Sohlberg, chair of the Central Elections Committee, ruled on a Likud petition against Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party. Yashar had sent letters in envelopes made to look like draft orders. Sohlberg fined Yashar NIS 4,000 to the state treasury and ordered NIS 2,000 in costs to Likud. He issued no order to stop the mailing because the letters had already gone out. He said the design raised concern about using the army and public property for propaganda. Yashar called the petition a campaign of lies and intimidation, according to Israel Hayom. The same article says Likud told the committee it will comply with the earlier order on its signs showing Eisenkot with Mansour Abbas and Ahmad Tibi, and stressed that the problem was the Arabic-only disclosure. This account rests on one outlet.
CoalitionWinter says he will not serve under Eisenkot
Ofer Winter, chair of Amcha Yisrael, told i24NEWS he will not sit in a government led by Gadi Eisenkot. He described an ideological gap between them. He said he respects Eisenkot personally, and the two hugged as Winter left the studio. In the N12 "Meet the Press" interview, Winter said he will join only a right-wing government. He declined to say Netanyahu should be disqualified and said he would consider a broad right-wing government.
CoalitionParty leaders state conditions in "Meet the Press" interviews
N12 ran interviews with party leaders on Saturday evening, three days before the vote. Yaakov Asher of United Torah Judaism said his party is not part of Netanyahu's bloc and will join whoever wants it. He said it will not sit in any government that does not pass a draft law at the start of the term. Yair Golan of the Democrats said he wants the Justice, Internal Security, Education and Communications ministries. Eisenkot said he will not sit with Netanyahu. He said a law barring a defendant from serving as prime minister cannot apply retroactively. Naftali Bennett also called such a law unconstitutional. Bennett declined to commit that the leader of the largest party will form the government, and said he would honor the result if Eisenkot wins. These are the leaders' own statements, as summarized in the N12 live blog.
CoalitionBen Gvir says Likud decided on a government with Eisenkot
Itamar Ben Gvir gave an interview to i24NEWS that aired on Friday and was published on Saturday. He said Likud and Netanyahu's circle decided to pursue a government with Eisenkot without Otzma Yehudit. He said he fears Netanyahu would go that way, and that if his own party is strong there will be a government with him. He also said he was told the Prime Minister's Office assured European states that he would not be in the next government. He said Likud figures once proposed a move against Netanyahu and that he refused, and he declined to name them. The article does not report a response from Netanyahu or Likud. All of this is Ben Gvir's own account.
CampaignOpposition leaders join a Tel Aviv rally for a state commission of inquiry
The October Council held a rally on Saturday evening in Hostages Square. It called for a state commission of inquiry into 7 October. Kikar HaShabbat lists Yair Lapid, Avigdor Liberman, Gadi Eisenkot and Yair Golan among the attendees. It gives no attendance figure. Golan said his party would work to set up a commission starting Wednesday. Earlier in the day the council wrote to the Police Commissioner, saying it had information that political actors planned to disrupt the event. Maariv presents this as the council's claim and reports no police response.
CampaignParties plan final-stretch moves, including a United Torah Judaism rally tonight
Ynet reports that Likud is running paid billboard and social media ads against Winter and urging supporters not to vote for Yaron Zelicha or Yoaz Hendel. It says Netanyahu plans election-day calls with mayors and activists in about 20 cities. The Democrats say they will deploy more than 11,000 volunteers at over 1,500 polling sites. United Torah Judaism holds a rally tonight, Sunday, at 19:15 in Bnei Brak on Derech Em HaMoshavot, led by its rabbinic leaders, according to JDN. Derech Em HaMoshavot will be closed to traffic, and bus and train service will be added. Ynet also says the Joint List and Adalah petitioned the High Court to bar armed polling officials, and that the court ordered a state response by noon on Sunday. Ynet gives no ruling.
CourtsElections Committee chair orders Likud to remove signs showing Eisenkot with Abbas and Tibi
Justice Noam Sohlberg, chair of the Central Elections Committee, ruled on a petition from Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party. He ordered Likud to take down signs that show Eisenkot and other list leaders next to Mansour Abbas and Ahmad Tibi. Sohlberg wrote that the signs may give a false impression of ties between the lists. Walla reports that the Arabic text did not fix the problem. Walla and Zman Yisrael give a removal deadline of 15:30 on Friday. Ynet adds that Likud must also publish a Hebrew notice saying the signs came from Likud and not from Yashar, two hours after Shabbat ends. The articles we opened do not report a Likud response.
CourtsElections Committee chair rules that bot and fake-account propaganda must say who is behind it
Justice Noam Sohlberg rejected a petition from the Freedom of Information Movement against Likud and Benjamin Netanyahu. The petition said they ran fake accounts to boost Netanyahu's messages. Israel Hayom reports that Sohlberg found the evidence did not show Likud or Netanyahu operated the accounts. He still set out a rule under Section 2A1 of the Elections Law. Election messages boosted through unnamed accounts, including fake names or bots, count as election advertising. They must identify who is responsible. This is a separate case from the petition by the Brandeis Institute and Fake Reporter, which the 23 October edition covered.
List changesAchi party leaves the race after talks with Likud representatives
The Achi party, led by Rabbi Abergel, said it will not run. Israel Hayom says the decision followed a meeting in Netivot with former Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, local mayors, MK Almog Cohen and attorney Lior Katz, who came for Netanyahu. Education Minister Yoav Kish's office said he led the talks at Netanyahu's request. It said the move kept tens of thousands of right-wing votes from being wasted. Achi said its goals were met. It listed Likud commitments on the draft law, early childhood care, services for older people and Jewish education. Ynet and N12 report that Netanyahu also promised to advance a law allowing a deputy minister who is not an MK. Likud's statement, as N12 reports it, said a deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Office would come from Likud MKs or from Achi, subject to the law. Kol Rega reports that Abergel is expected to tell followers privately to vote Likud. We could not confirm that elsewhere. The sources do not say how many voters Achi would have drawn.
CampaignFormer minister Limor Livnat says she will back Bennett
Limor Livnat, a former Education Minister, announced her support for Naftali Bennett in a post on X. She wrote that her views have not changed. She said Likud under Netanyahu has moved away from the path of Menachem Begin. She listed opposition to a Palestinian state, support for unity over social division, and opposition to draft evasion as shared ground with Bennett. Israel Hayom notes that she criticized Likud earlier this year.
CampaignBen Gvir tells supporters a weaker Otzma Yehudit could cost him a place in the next government
Itamar Ben Gvir posted on Facebook before Shabbat. He told supporters not to respond to what he called a Likud campaign aimed at pulling right-wing voters to Likud. He said that if his party weakens, he may not be in the next government. He said Netanyahu has signaled he would take the National Security Ministry from him. These are Ben Gvir's own claims. The article does not report a response from Netanyahu or Likud. Ben Gvir also said every vote for his party is a vote for Netanyahu as prime minister.