LIVE: Israel Votes 2026: Knesset Election Updates

Two more final pre-election polls were published Thursday evening Israel time, and they point in opposite directions. Channel 14’s last survey before the vote, conducted by NEXT DATA among 7,936 adults, gives Likud 30 seats, unchanged, and Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar 20. Naftali Bennett’s Together gains one to 11, Shas falls one to 9 and the Democrats fall one to 8, while Otzma Yehudit, United Torah Judaism and the Joint List have 8 each, Religious Zionism–Zehut 7, Ra’am 6 and Yisrael Beytenu 5. Ofer Winter’s Amcha Yisrael gets 1.5% and the Reservists list 1.9%, and Noam, Moti Leitner’s Haredi Public party and Achi also fall below the threshold. By bloc, Channel 14 has Netanyahu’s camp at 62, the opposition at 44 and the Arab parties at 14. On who is best suited to be prime minister, Netanyahu has 54%, Eisenkot 32%, Bennett 10% and Avigdor Liberman 4%; head-to-head, Netanyahu leads Eisenkot 55% to 45%, Kipa reported (translated from Hebrew by BJ Post). A Channel 16 poll published the same evening has Yashar first with 20, Likud 17 and Together 14. Otzma Yehudit, the Democrats and the Joint List have 9 each, UTJ 8, and Yisrael Beytenu, Shas and Religious Zionism 7 each. Ra’am has 5, and the Reservists list and Amcha Yisrael 4 each, Kipa reported (translated from Hebrew). By BJ Post’s count of those figures, the parties of the current coalition total 48 seats, or 52 with Amcha Yisrael. Kan News said its own final poll will be released Friday, and that so far Eisenkot’s party remains the largest and the blocs remain in a relative tie (Kan News on X, translated from Hebrew).

Channel 13 aired recordings for the first time Thursday evening in which Shas chairman Aryeh Deri attacks coalition partners over the failure of the draft-exemption law. Of Likud members who did not take part in the discussions on the law, he says, “It doesn’t move them. If there had been unity, it would have looked different.” He says coalition chairman Ofir Katz “confuses the mind” and adds, “We are in an exile within an exile; I don’t know which exile is harder,” Channel 13 reported (translated from Hebrew by BJ Post). Earlier this week, Channel 13 reported that Deri told associates in closed conversations that there would be no government after the election in which Bezalel Smotrich is again finance minister and Shas sits in it.

Ynet reported that two Haredi protest parties are threatening Shas and United Torah Judaism in the final days of the campaign: Moti Leitner’s Haredi Public party, which said Wednesday night it is not withdrawing, and Rabbi Yaakov Haim Miller’s Tzeva Shahor (translated from Hebrew by BJ Post). Miller told Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth that, according to the polls, “there are between 4 and 6 seats” of hesitant voters, and that his party is “in a genuine attempt to get into the Knesset. This is not a protest.” Ynet reported that Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef has told rallies, “True, there is criticism, but you don’t leave home; you don’t leave the movement of Maran,” and that “if Shas is weakened, it is a disgrace to the Torah and a disgrace to the Sephardim.” Ynet also reported that Otzma Yehudit has launched an official campaign on Haredi news sites aimed at voters disappointed with the Haredi parties.

In the religious-Zionist camp, Ynet reported that 114 prominent rabbis signed a letter calling on voters “to vote only for parties that without any doubt pass the electoral threshold,” calling it a matter “of life and death for the nation.” Ynet said the letter was delayed after Winter met with Rabbi Yaakov Shapira, Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu and Rabbi Eitan Eisman, and that Netanyahu then phoned the three rabbis; the letter was finally published without naming Winter’s party. Amcha Yisrael responded that “Winter respects the rabbis, but only the people of Israel decide their future” (translated from Hebrew by BJ Post). Arutz Sheva, which put the number of signatories at about 150, said the letter was issued by the Torat Haaretz Hatova rabbinical union and signed by Rabbis Yaakov Ariel, Isser Klonsky, David Chai Hacohen, Zalman Baruch Melamed, Shmuel Eliyahu, Eliezer Igra and Yaakov Shapira. Separately, Arutz Sheva and Kipa, citing Kan News, reported that Smotrich had planned to offer Noam chairman Avi Maoz a deputy-minister post or a directorate role in exchange for withdrawing, but chose quiet talks through an intermediary instead. Maoz said Noam “has not conducted and is not conducting any negotiations with any party” and will run “to the end” (translated from Hebrew). Channel 12 reported that the anger toward Winter in Netanyahu’s circle stems from Winter’s advice to the family of former Netanyahu spokesman Eli Feldstein, after his October 2024 arrest, not to hire Netanyahu’s lawyer Amit Hadad. Kipa noted that this explanation is the report’s claim and has not been independently proven (N12 and Kipa, translated from Hebrew).

On security, Channel 13 aired quotes from closed discussions in which IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said, “We do not identify a need to strike in Iran before the elections. If we think we need to strike in Iran, we will strike in Iran.” Channel 13 said a leave freeze Zamir ordered begins Thursday evening and will last at least until after Election Day, and that there is no concrete warning in any arena (translated from Hebrew by BJ Post). Walla reported that Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered heightened alert ahead of Election Day over concern that Israel’s enemies will try to disrupt the vote, against the background of fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. Walla also reported that the Transport Ministry and the Israel Airports Authority, replying to a letter sent for a voters’ group, said the airports are open and ready to receive Israelis flying in to vote. The airports authority’s legal adviser said its work “is not influenced by the election date or other extraneous considerations” (translated from Hebrew).

The High Court on Thursday evening rejected Finance Minister Smotrich’s petition against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s instruction to postpone until after the election the tenders for more than 1,000 housing units in the E1 area of Ma’ale Adumim. Justices Daphna Barak-Erez, Ofer Grosskopf and Khaled Kabub wrote that the tender’s timing “may serve as election propaganda and could even bind the hands of the next government,” Ynet reported (translated from Hebrew by BJ Post). Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it was “shocked by these unfounded accusations” after Netanyahu said this week that Russia operates bot networks spreading antisemitism against Israel, and said he chose “media leaks ahead of the elections in Israel on Oct. 27” over dialogue between cyber experts (Ynet, translated from Hebrew). Hackers posted material on Telegram that they say came from the phone of the prime minister’s son Avner Netanyahu; the Prime Minister’s Office did not respond, Ynet reported. In a meeting recording aired by Kan, Democrats leader Yair Golan ruled out a government with Likud even without Netanyahu (Arutz Sheva, citing Kan, translated from Hebrew). Channel 13 reported that opposition party leaders agree on replacing Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana before a government is formed, and are considering naming one of the party leaders as interim speaker.

Bukharian angle: Rabbi Yosef Elnatanov, the Bukharian community representative, is No. 11 on the Shas list. Channel 14’s final poll gives Shas 9 seats and Channel 16’s gives it 7, both short of the 11 Elnatanov would need. The Deri recordings and the protest-party challenge reported Thursday both bear directly on Shas’s final tally. Israelis vote Tuesday, Oct. 27, and there are no results yet.

Sources: Kipa on the Channel 14 poll (Hebrew) ; Kipa on the Channel 16 poll (Hebrew) ; Kan News on its Friday poll (Hebrew) ; Channel 13 on the Deri recordings (Hebrew) ; Ynet on the Haredi protest parties (Hebrew) ; Ynet on the rabbis’ letter and Winter (Hebrew) ; Arutz Sheva on the rabbis’ letter (Hebrew) ; Arutz Sheva on Smotrich and Maoz (Hebrew) ; Kipa on Smotrich and Maoz (Hebrew) ; N12 on Netanyahu and Winter (Hebrew) ; Kipa on the N12 report (Hebrew) ; Channel 13 on Zamir (Hebrew) ; Walla on the IDF alert (Hebrew) ; Walla on flights for voters (Hebrew) ; Ynet on the E1 ruling (Hebrew) ; Ynet on Russia and Netanyahu (Hebrew) ; Ynet on the Avner Netanyahu hack claim (Hebrew) ; Arutz Sheva on Golan (Hebrew) ; Channel 13 on the Knesset speaker plan (Hebrew)

The final Israel Hayom pre-election poll, conducted by the Kantar institute on Oct. 21–22 among a double-size sample of 1,110 respondents (margin of error ±3.0%), gives Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar 23 seats, down one from the previous Israel Hayom–Kantar survey, and Likud 21 for a third straight week. Naftali Bennett’s Together rises to 14 from 12, its best showing since August. Shas has 8, a high for the series, Otzma Yehudit 8 (down from 9), the Democrats 8, United Torah Judaism 7, Yisrael Beytenu 7 (its lowest in the series), Religious Zionism–Zehut 6, Ra’am 5, Hadash-Ta’al and Balad 9, and the Hendel–Zelicha Reservists list 4. Ofer Winter’s Amcha Yisrael falls below the threshold with 2.7%. By bloc, Netanyahu’s coalition has 50, the Zionist opposition 56 and the Arab parties 14. Seventy percent of respondents said they are certain to vote, and 7% are still undecided (Israel Hayom and Kikar HaShabbat, translated from Hebrew by BJ Post; JFeed).

The Times of Israel’s final poll from its Hebrew sister site Zman Yisrael, published Thursday but conducted Oct. 14–15 among 500 respondents (margin of error 4.4%), has the pro-Netanyahu bloc and the Zionist opposition at 51 seats each. Yashar has 23 (down three from the previous week) and Likud 21 (up one), the Joint List 9, Ra’am 5 and the Reservists 4 with 3.6%, while Winter’s party falls short with 3%. About 60% of respondents said Netanyahu should retire from politics if he fails to form a government (The Times of Israel).

In the full Jerusalem Post interview, published Thursday and conducted in the early hours of Oct. 21 as he turned 77, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said of the race, “I think right now it’s an even tie. That’s what I see in the big numbers.” He said military intelligence and the Mossad had given “clear warnings” about Iran and its proxies, and that if they attack, “it’ll be a big mistake because we’ll respond with force and might they cannot even imagine.” On violence by extremist settlers, he said, “I don’t want vigilantism,” and that such acts did “enormous damage to Israel abroad.” Asked about allegations involving aides and Qatar, he said, “The judge said it’s a witch hunt,” without naming the judge or ruling; the Post noted that the “Qatargate” affair is still under investigation and that Netanyahu has not been named a suspect (The Jerusalem Post). Separately, Reservists party leader Yoaz Hendel told the Post, “I won’t sit with the haredi parties. If Likud can’t part ways with them, I won’t sit with Likud,” while saying he is “not in the ‘anyone but Bibi’ camp” (The Jerusalem Post).

After the High Court’s ruling barring live turnout counts from polling-station committees to party headquarters, United Torah Judaism plans a stand outside the sterile area at the entrance to each polling station to record who goes in to vote, and Agudat Yisrael will set up a tent staffed by kollel students at each polling cluster, where voters will be asked to report that they voted, under the slogan “You voted and didn’t report – you didn’t vote,” Ynet reported (translated from Hebrew by BJ Post). Ynet said Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Tzachi Brim is behind the Agudat Yisrael effort. Ynet also reported that Rabbi Moshe Maya, the oldest member of Shas’s Council of Torah Sages and a former Knesset member, said, “Whoever votes Likud or another party has no share in the World to Come” (translated from Hebrew).

i24NEWS reporter Ari Kalman reported Thursday evening that the Gerrer Rebbe has so far refused to sign the traditional proclamation of the Hasidic Council of Torah Sages calling for a vote for United Torah Judaism, which is published in the Haredi dailies on the Friday before an election, Kikar HaShabbat reported (translated from Hebrew by BJ Post). According to the report, one proposal is to sign the proclamation in the name of the council as a whole rather than listing each rebbe, and the matter will be settled before the papers close at midnight. Channel 12’s Amit Segal reported that UTJ officials attribute the delay to an attempt to add new names. Kikar noted that on Sunday Hamodia, the newspaper Kikar describes as Ger’s house organ, published a statement in the Rebbe’s name asking his Hasidim to vote for UTJ. UTJ’s main pre-election rally is set for Sunday at 7:15 p.m. on Derech Em HaMoshavot in Bnei Brak, where Torah leaders have called on Haredi voters to attend (Kikar HaShabbat, translated from Hebrew).

Kikar HaShabbat also reported that a kollel head placed on the Tzeva Shahor list to represent the Sephardi Torah-learning public withdrew from the race after meeting Rishon LeZion Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, who asked him to step aside; party chairman Yaakov Haim Miller said the candidate and his family had faced threats, and that the party is staying in the race (translated from Hebrew). In Tel Aviv, police kept relatives of hostages, including Einav Zangauker, away from Netanyahu during his campaign visit to the Hatikva market, Kikar reported. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, in his first interview with foreign media since taking office, told TIME magazine that Israel must take over all of Gaza and encourage what he called voluntary emigration, and that he prefers Netanyahu to Eisenkot, Ynet reported. Ynet also reported that President Donald Trump posted Thursday that Iran is inventing false reports of ship hits to push up oil prices before the U.S. midterms, after Iranian state TV said seven tankers had been struck or hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz overnight (translated from Hebrew).

Bukharian angle: Rabbi Yosef Elnatanov, the Bukharian community representative, is No. 11 on the Shas list. The final Israel Hayom–Kantar poll gives Shas 8 seats, its best result in that series but still short of the 11 that Elnatanov would need. Israelis vote Tuesday, Oct. 27, and there are no results yet.

Sources: Israel Hayom on its final Kantar poll (Hebrew) ; Kikar HaShabbat on the Israel Hayom poll (Hebrew) ; JFeed on the Israel Hayom poll ; The Times of Israel on the Zman Yisrael poll ; The Jerusalem Post interview with Netanyahu ; The Jerusalem Post interview with Hendel ; Ynet on UTJ’s turnout plan and Rabbi Maya (Hebrew) ; Kikar HaShabbat on the Gerrer Rebbe and the proclamation (Hebrew) ; Kikar HaShabbat on the Bnei Brak rally (Hebrew) ; Kikar HaShabbat on the Tzeva Shahor withdrawal (Hebrew) ; Kikar HaShabbat on the Hatikva market visit (Hebrew) ; Ynet on Ben Gvir’s TIME interview (Hebrew) ; Ynet on Trump and the Hormuz reports (Hebrew)

Israel's High Court of Justice ruled Thursday that polling-station committee members and party observers may not use digital tools on Election Day to count how many people have voted at a given polling station and pass that number to their party in real time, Ynet reported (translated from Hebrew). Justices Khaled Kabub and Ruth Ronen formed the majority, and Justice David Mintz dissented. The petition was filed by the Israeli Democracy Guardian association against a clarification by acting Central Elections Committee director-general Din Livneh, issued after an inquiry from Likud legal adviser Ilan Bombach, that would have allowed parties to receive numerical turnout figures without voters' names. The petitioners said the ruling keeps polling-station officials from becoming "an operational arm of the party headquarters." Kikar HaShabat noted that the High Court ruled on Sept. 17 that the identity of who has voted is personal information that may not be passed to parties (Ynet, translated from Hebrew; Kikar HaShabat, translated from Hebrew).

In a long interview with Arutz Sheva, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the choice in Tuesday's election is "me and Trump, or Eisenkot and Abbas," and warned that if he loses, the next government would be made up of "the left" and Arab parties, The Times of Israel reported. He said of Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot, "He doesn't have the experience, he doesn't have the talent, he doesn't have the connections." The Times of Israel noted that most of the main anti-Netanyahu parties, including Eisenkot's, have ruled out relying on Arab parties to form a coalition. In the same interview, Netanyahu said he told President Donald Trump in their first meeting in February 2025 that Israel would attack Iran and asked him to join: "There is a bunker in a place called Fordo, you can bring the B2 and bomb there." Arutz Sheva reported that Netanyahu also denied seeking Trump's endorsement and said it came as a complete surprise (Times of Israel; Arutz Sheva).

Senior Israeli officials told Maariv that Israel has intelligence indicating Iran and its proxies are considering attacks before the election, in the belief that a major security incident could shake public confidence and affect the result, The Jerusalem Post reported. The officials said the public warnings by Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz are meant mainly to deter. Defense officials are concerned that the repeated statements could lead Iran to miscalculate and strike first. According to the report, defense officials expect any decision on a strike against Iran to come after the election, depending on the results and in coordination with the United States (The Jerusalem Post, citing Maariv).

At the state memorial marking 31 years since the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, President Isaac Herzog condemned "appalling threats to murder elected officials, from the prime minister to ministers, members of Knesset and political leaders." "There is no place for political violence in a civilized country. There is no place for violence, period," he said. Herzog said he saw a sign on Route 1 calling for the release of Rabin's assassin, Yigal Amir, and said Amir "must spend the rest of his life in prison" (Times of Israel).

In the Haredi campaign, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir told Kikar HaShabat that Shas chairman Aryeh Deri had told him many times, including in security cabinet meetings, "You are different, you are not like Bezalel Smotrich, you are truly a friend," and asked, "So what happened?" Ben Gvir said he would not "say a single word" against Rishon LeZion Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, who had attacked him, and that his complaint was with Haredi MKs and party activists. Separately, Rabbi Dov Lando, a leader of the Lithuanian Haredi community, hosted dozens of Haredi businesspeople at his home Wednesday night and read a letter urging them to vote only for United Torah Judaism's list and not for new parties; he said he would ask Degel HaTorah's MKs to address their concerns, including education (Kikar HaShabat, translated from Hebrew; Arutz Sheva).

On the trail, Eisenkot visited the Western Wall under heavy security on Thursday, where he was met with cheers from supporters and "Bibi, King of Israel!" chants from Netanyahu supporters, Arutz Sheva reported. The Fly&Vote initiative estimated that about 67,000 Israelis living abroad are preparing to fly in to vote, based on a voluntary survey of about 23,000 Israelis abroad conducted Oct. 12 to 21, in which 79.6% said they intend to come. Maariv noted the survey is not a representative sample and that 67,000 votes would equal about 1.7 seats at roughly 40,000 votes per seat (Arutz Sheva; Maariv, translated from Hebrew).

Bukharian watch: No new seat poll has been published since Wednesday evening, when Channel 12 gave Shas 8 seats and Channel 13 gave it 7. That still leaves Rabbi Yosef Elnatanov, the Bukharian community representative at No. 11 on the Shas list, outside the projected Knesset. Israelis vote Tuesday, Oct. 27 (Haaretz).

Sources: Ynet (https://www.ynet.co.il/news/elections2026/article/sjcwifpnfx); Kikar HaShabat (https://www.kikar.co.il/news/tnb800, https://www.kikar.co.il/haredim-news/tn99gu, https://www.kikar.co.il/haredim/rav-lando-historic-gathering-businessmen-elections); The Times of Israel (https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/netanyahus-election-pitch-its-me-and-trump-or-eisenkot-and-abbas/, https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/netanyahu-i-told-trump-in-february-2025-that-i-was-going-to-attack-iran-asked-him-to-join/, https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/at-rabin-memorial-herzog-decries-appalling-political-threats-warns-against-violence/); Arutz Sheva (https://www.israelnationalnews.com/flashes/695859, https://www.israelnationalnews.com/flashes/695858, https://www.israelnationalnews.com/flashes/695856); The Jerusalem Post (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-912546); Maariv (https://www.maariv.co.il/news/elections-2026/article-1380103); Haaretz (https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-10-22/ty-article/new-polls-show-eisenkot-bloc-leading-netanyahus-but-short-of-majority/000001a1-61de-d3a9-a9bb-69ff31b00000)

Updated 6:30 AM ET, Oct 22, 2026

- Netanyahu denies Iran-strike report: In an interview with Arutz Sheva (Channel 7) published Thursday morning, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a Financial Times report that President Donald Trump stopped a planned Israeli attack on Iran. "This report is not true. I'm not going to get into correcting this biased report," he said, according to Ynet's translation. Citing three people familiar with the plans, the FT reported Wednesday that the IDF had prepared several days of strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, power plants and regime targets for the weekend of October 10, and that the operation did not go ahead because Trump opposed renewed fighting before the US midterms on November 3. Netanyahu did not say which parts of the report he disputes.

- More from the same interview: According to Channel 14's account (translated from Hebrew), Netanyahu said he had instructed the Mossad and the IDF that "the only solution" is toppling the Iranian regime, and said, "90% of the job is done. There's another 10%." Arutz Sheva also reported (translated from Hebrew) that Trump said overnight the US is not negotiating with Iran, that something is expected fairly soon, and that most people seem to think it will happen after the elections.

- Officials warn about timing: Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported Wednesday evening, citing two sources, that security officials warned the government that striking Iran now could be seen as political interference in the election, The Jerusalem Post reported. On KAN Reshet Bet Thursday, opposition leader Yair Lapid said, "Based on the information available to me, there is absolutely no reason to attack Iran or anywhere else before the elections," while adding, "I am not saying we should not attack Iran." Former Israeli Air Force chief Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amikam Norkin told the same station that a military operation “as described in the media is not what will bring down the regime.”

- Likud campaign shift: A Jerusalem Post analysis published Thursday reports that Netanyahu has stopped trying to get Ofer Winter (People of Israel) and Moti Leitner (Haredi Public) to quit the race. Instead, his campaign is targeting right-wing voters whose votes could be lost if those parties fall below the 3.25% threshold. The analysis also says Netanyahu may be willing to consider a unity government without National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

- Rabbinic endorsement: Kikar HaShabbat reported Thursday that Chabad Rabbi Baruch Boaz Yurkowicz publicly declared support for Ben Gvir's Otzma Yehudit. In the video, he says (translated from Hebrew), “Ben Gvir is the only one who cannot be bribed... I personally am voting Ben Gvir!”

- October 7 families at the polls: The Times of Israel reports that families of October 7 victims, including former hostage Yocheved Lifshitz, will stand outside polling stations on Tuesday with signs asking voters to remember those murdered, killed in battle or taken hostage. The organizers say the effort is not affiliated with any party and does not endorse one.

- Bukharian watch: No new seat poll has been published since Wednesday evening, when Channel 12 gave Shas 8 seats and Channel 13 gave it 7. That still leaves Bukharian candidate Elnatanov, No. 11 on the Shas list, outside the projected Knesset.

Sources: Ynet (ynetnews.com/article/rjxbwld3fx); Arutz Sheva (inn.co.il/news/709088); Channel 14 (c14.co.il/article/1749611); The Jerusalem Post (jpost.com/israel-election-2026/article-912507, jpost.com/israel-election-2026/article-912518); Kikar HaShabbat (kikar.co.il/political-news); The Times of Israel (timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/october-7-families-call-on-voters-to-remember-the-fallen-at-the-ballot-box/); Haaretz (haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-10-22/ty-article/new-polls-show-eisenkot-bloc-leading-netanyahus-but-short-of-majority/000001a1-61de-d3a9-a9bb-69ff31b00000)

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday morning that, “based on information in our possession,” hostile actors intend to attack Israel and carry out terror attacks “on the eve of the election or during it, in order to influence the results,” Ynet reported (translated from Hebrew). “Every attack on Israel and all the coming attacks, if, God forbid, they happen, will be recorded against the names of Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett, Yair Golan and their colleagues in the opposition, who do not stop attacking the prime minister and me and casting doubt on our considerations in warning and alerting,” Katz said. He did not disclose the underlying intelligence or identify a specific planned attack, The Jerusalem Post noted. Ynet reported that Katz’s statement followed a radio interview in which Lapid said that, based on the information he knows, there is no reason to strike Iran or elsewhere before the election. Ynet reported that, although the IDF has issued unusual instructions ahead of the vote, there is no concrete intelligence warning of an Iranian or Hezbollah intention to attack Israel before or after the election.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the statement “reckless and hysterical” and “a gift to Israel’s enemies,” adding, “In their desperation to escape defeat in the election, they are now turning the security of the State of Israel into a circus.” Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot wrote on X that “the defense minister is preparing the ground for the next disaster and rolling the responsibility over in advance,” and said, “In 5 days we put an end to this at the ballot box.” Democrats leader Yair Golan called it “an insanely irresponsible statement” and said it illustrates “why we must not sit with these people” (all translated from Hebrew, Ynet).

The Shin Bet security service announced Thursday that, in a joint effort with the State Attorney’s Office cyber department and the Central Elections Committee, it identified several online profiles being used for foreign influence activity ahead of the election, and that the accounts were removed, Kikar HaShabbat and Ynet reported (translated from Hebrew). The agency said it would continue working with the relevant bodies to protect “the democratic process and the purity of the elections.” It did not say which country was behind the accounts or how many were removed.

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri released a campaign video Thursday announcing a “Tefillin for Every Child” plan, under which every boy turning 13 would receive a bar mitzvah kit with tefillin and a tallit from the Education Ministry, Ynet and Arutz Sheva reported. Deri said Shas would also seek to require schools to set aside a place for boys to pray, and that the party commits to passing the plan in the next government (translated from Hebrew). Separately, The Jerusalem Post reported that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told a Telegram news channel that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed in 2021 to a proposed coalition arrangement with Ra’am, which Smotrich said he prevented; asked whether National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir had also agreed, Smotrich said, “No, absolutely not.” Police said an officer was hurt in the head by stones thrown by protesters near Elad overnight, as demonstrations over the arrest of a yeshiva student listed as a deserter continued, Ynet reported.

Bukharian angle: Rabbi Yosef Elnatanov, the Bukharian community representative, is No. 11 on the Shas list. BJ Post found no new Channel 12, Channel 13, Channel 14 or Kan seat poll since Wednesday’s surveys, which had Shas at 8 and 7 seats, leaving Elnatanov outside the Knesset in both. Israelis vote Tuesday, Oct. 27, and there are no results yet.

Sources: Ynet on Katz’s statement and the responses (Hebrew) ; The Jerusalem Post on Katz and Lapid ; Ynet on Eisenkot’s response (Hebrew) ; Ynet on Golan’s response (Hebrew) ; Kikar HaShabbat on the Shin Bet announcement (Hebrew) ; Ynet on the Shas tefillin pledge (Hebrew) ; Arutz Sheva on the Shas pledge (Hebrew) ; The Jerusalem Post on Smotrich and Ra’am ; Ynet on the Elad protest (Hebrew)

Hundreds of protesters gathered late Wednesday at the entrance to the Haredi city of Elad, near the Torah B’Tiferet and Knesset Yechezkel yeshivas, after a Torah B’Tiferet student, Elchanan Damti, was handed over to the Military Police, Kikar HaShabbat reported (translated from Hebrew). According to the report, Damti had reported to the Kfar Saba police station after being summoned over a traffic incident, was found to be listed as a deserter from military service, and was later sentenced to 10 days in prison. Kikar HaShabbat said that, according to reports and footage from the scene, stun grenades were thrown into the yeshiva compounds during clashes with Yasam and Border Police officers, and at least five students were lightly injured, one of whom was taken to Beilinson Hospital. The commander of the Rosh HaAyin police station was hit in the head by a garbage bag thrown at him, the report said. Earlier protests by the Jerusalem Faction spread from the Kfar Saba station to the Ra’anana junction and Route 4, and rabbis of the yeshivas were called to the scene to calm the situation.

At an election rally at the Bnei HaYeshivot study hall in Jerusalem’s Shmuel HaNavi neighborhood, the Rishon LeZion, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, told listeners that voting is a matter of “spiritual pikuach nefesh” (saving life), Kikar HaShabbat reported. “If the left comes to power, it will make difficulties; what exists now is nothing compared to what they are planning,” he said, adding, “Look at the polls, there is concern… according to the polls they will form a government with the Arabs.” He called on everyone to vote and to persuade relatives and students to vote, and said of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, “It is forbidden to vote for him,” and that Sephardic yeshiva students considering voting for him should not entertain the idea (translated from Hebrew).

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman told Ynet’s “120 and One” podcast that a minority government relying on Arab parties would be “a fatal mistake, both on the moral level and on the practical level,” arguing that such a government would collapse and return Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “with 70 seats for four years.” Asked how Netanyahu could be removed, he said, “We will replace the Knesset speaker,” and, “We will find a way to get rid of him.” He said he would not sit “in any government with Bibi, with Haredi parties and with Arab parties” and called for raising turnout by 4 to 5 percentage points (translated from Hebrew). Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told JNS at a parlor meeting in Jerusalem that the election is a “historic crossroads,” and Religious Zionist MK Ohad Tal said Ofer Winter’s party could waste right-wing votes. In a separate podcast interview reported by Maariv, Smotrich said that after a decision in the election, “it will be possible to invite more forces, also from the opposition” (translated from Hebrew). Maariv also reported that on the Polymarket prediction market, Gadi Eisenkot had a 53% probability of becoming the next prime minister, Netanyahu 28% and Naftali Bennett 14%.

Bukharian angle: BJ Post found no new Channel 12, Channel 13, Channel 14 or Kan seat poll after the 9:30 PM ET update. Wednesday’s Channel 12 and Channel 13 polls had Shas at 8 and 7 seats, so Rabbi Yosef Elnatanov, the Bukharian community representative at No. 11 on the Shas list, remains outside the Knesset in both. Israelis vote Tuesday, Oct. 27, and there are no results yet.

Sources: Kikar HaShabbat on the Elad clashes (Hebrew) ; Kikar HaShabbat on Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef’s speech (Hebrew) ; Ynet’s interview with Avigdor Liberman (Hebrew) ; JNS on Smotrich and Ohad Tal ; Maariv on Smotrich’s podcast interview (Hebrew) ; Maariv on the Polymarket odds (Hebrew) ; The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday’s Channel 12 and 13 polls