Israel Business

Brazilians reelected Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva as president, defeating the center-right senator Flavio Bolsonaro and putting the brakes on a regional shift toward closer ties with Israel.

The current president, a left-wing leader of Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers Party), obtained 51.79% of the valid votes, while Bolsonaro received 48.21%.  

Bolsonaro, of the Liberal Party, had pledged a close diplomatic partnership with Israel and cultivated ties with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while Lula has become a critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Bolsonaro said he did not accept the election results, though it is unclear how he could challenge them.

In January 2024, Lula’s government endorsed South Africa’s decision to bring a genocide case against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). A month later, Lula compared Palestinian suffering in Gaza to Hitler’s murder of the Jews, triggering a diplomatic crisis between Brazil and Israel. Brazil’s Jewish umbrella organization, CONIB, publicly condemned the comparison as a distortion that offended the memory of Holocaust victims and their descendants. 

The remarks were also criticized by the Holocaust Museum of Buenos Aires. Sen. Bolsonaro promised a big shift toward Israel when he spoke on June 28, 2026, in Buenos Aires in a meeting with Jewish leaders. “In 2027, Brazil will not only once again have an ambassador to Israel, but will also take the step of moving its embassy to Israel’s capital, Jerusalem,” he said.

Bolsonaro lauds Brazilian Jews as ‘among the brightest’ in multiple fields

That night he also lauded the 120,000 Jews in Brazil, saying, “They are men and women who rank among the brightest in Brazilian medicine, industry, science, culture and business.”

After Bolsonaro finished ahead of Lula in the first round on Oct. 4, Netanyahu sent a message the following day on X/Twitter: “Congratulations @FlavioBolsonaro on yesterday’s vote and good luck in the final. I look forward to restoring the extraordinary friendship between Israel and Brazil. Best wishes for your great victory, my friend.”  

Several Latin American countries strengthen Israel ties

Since 2023, several Latin American countries have strengthened ties with Israel, in some cases reversing policies adopted by their predecessors, among them: 

Argentine President Javier Milei, elected in 2023, who makes support for Israel central to his foreign policy and meets with families of hostages Hamas abducted in its deadly Oct. 7, 2023, raid on Israel, which launched the current war; Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz Pereira, elected in 2025, restored diplomatic relations with Israel, which his predecessor had severed; President Nasry Asfura of Honduras, elected in 2025, who immediately formally recognized Israel’s new ambassador, a process his predecessor left in limbo; Chilean President José Antonio Kast, elected in 2025, who is rebuilding ties with Israel diminished by his predecessor; and Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, elected in May, who restored diplomatic ties with Israel severed by his predecessor, sent his foreign minister to inaugurate an embassy in Jerusalem and pulled out of the ICJ genocide case against Israel. 

Agudat Yisrael, the three-MK haredi faction led by Yitzhak Goldknopf, could provide some form of support for a government led by a member of the opposition, according to assessments within the political establishment ahead of the elections.

With less than a day remaining before the vote begins, political figures are considering several possible scenarios, including forming a government with the support of Arab parties or holding another election. 

Another possibility being discussed is support from Agudat Yisrael in exchange for budgetary agreements, although even such an arrangement would not necessarily eliminate the need for votes from the Arab parties.

The possibility of cooperation between Agudat Yisrael and the change bloc is not new. Maariv reported in August that Agudat Yisrael was examining new political options, including potential cooperation with Gadi Eisenkot.

The discussions took place against the backdrop of tensions within United Torah Judaism, particularly disagreements between Agudat Yisrael and Degel Hatorah over the haredi military draft and relations with Netanyahu.

According to that report, while Agudat Yisrael expressed disappointment with the coalition’s conduct, Degel Hatorah conveyed messages of despair and a lack of confidence in Netanyahu and his government.

A letter from Rabbi Dov Lando, expressing reservations about maintaining the commitment to the political bloc led by Netanyahu, further deepened uncertainty surrounding relations between the haredi parties and Likud.

Goldknopf, however, faces a significant political obstacle. His voter base is largely identified with the Right, and according to assessments cited in the report, any indication that he would be willing to support a government led by parties from the change bloc could prompt some of his supporters to defect to Likud or Otzma Yehudit.

Is Bennett the only politician who could reshape the political blocs?

Beyond the possibility of haredi support, political figures are also examining a scenario in which former prime minister Naftali Bennett could determine the composition of the next government if neither bloc secures a majority sufficient to form a coalition.

One possibility being raised within the political establishment is that Bennett could join a government led by Netanyahu if neither bloc reaches the 61-seat threshold required for a Knesset majority.

Although this is considered a remote scenario, some believe Bennett is the only leader within the change bloc capable of making such a move, given his political background on the Right.

Such a decision, however, would require Bennett to change his political support base and would also be complicated by the composition of his current party.

Liberman disagreements with Netanyahu make relationship unlikely

The possibility of Avigdor Liberman taking a similar step has also been raised, particularly in light of his previous decision to join a Netanyahu-led government and serve as defense minister.

However, according to the assessment presented, Liberman is currently far from making such a move because of the personal and political disagreements between him and the prime minister.

Thus, alongside the possibility of securing outside support from haredi parties, the question of which politician might be willing to shift their political support base could become one of the central issues in coalition negotiations.

For now, these remain scenarios and political assessments rather than agreements reached between the parties.

One day before the elections for the 26th Knesset, police are preparing for the possibility of clashes and public order disruptions on Election Day, particularly in the hours following the release of exit polls.

A senior police official estimates that voting day itself is expected to pass relatively quietly, but significant concern centers on 10:00 p.m., when exit poll results are published, and the potential for lingering tensions in the days that follow.

“I think the day after, as we call it, is no less sensitive,” the official said. He noted that exit poll results could bring celebrating or angry citizens into the streets, and police are preparing for potential friction, confrontations, and disorder throughout the night, the following day, and into the weekend. The official emphasized that police cannot limit their focus to securing polling stations and maintaining public order solely during voting hours.

Large forces will remain active across the country after polls close, recognizing that election results could trigger sharp reactions among supporters of various parties and political blocs.

As part of preparations, police are also slated to secure five major party gatherings: four in Tel Aviv and one for Likud at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem. “Every setup like this, and I am referring to party events, requires a very large number of police forces,” he stated.

22,000 officers, Netanyahu briefed on security

Despite expectations that Election Day itself may pass without major incidents, police are significantly bolstering their forces.

About 22,000 police officers are scheduled to participate in the security operation, up from about 17,000 in the previous election, an increase of roughly 5,000 officers. The senior official shared that as part of preparations, a comprehensive security briefing was presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in attendance.

The meeting covered intelligence assessments, threats of hostile terrorist activity, concerns over public order disruptions, and the operational readiness of the police force.

According to the official, police have been preparing for the elections for about three months in coordination with the Shin Bet and the IDF. During the briefing, Netanyahu posed questions focused on security threats and force readiness.

The official assessed that the prime minister and his ministry director-general were impressed by the staff work and the seriousness with which the organization approaches the mission.

The importance of police independence during the election period was also emphasized during the meeting.

“The most important organization during elections is the Israel Police. It is completely impossible to hold elections in the State of Israel without an apolitical police force,” the official said.

He added that even when operating under the responsibility of the National Security Minister, the police must maintain professional independence and remain free from political influence, both in practical conduct and in public perception.

Capitol order

Concerns over extraordinary events occurring after polls close are not new. Back in August, Maariv military correspondent Avi Ashkenazi reported that the defense establishment was preparing for what was termed “Operation Capitol”, a scenario in which one of the two competing political blocs claims the results were forged, refuses to accept them, and acts to undermine public order.

The scenario was crafted following the events of January 6, 2021, in the United States, when supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building in Washington after his loss in the November 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden. Former head of the Police Operations Directorate, retired Maj.-Gen. Sigal Bar-Tzvi, led the team within the operations division that drafted the “Capitol” order.

The plan addresses a situation where a political group in Israel claims widespread fraud in election results and attempts to disrupt the vote count, or a scenario where tens of thousands of people attempt to storm the Knesset building.

According to a security official, the primary concern requiring special readiness is the possibility that one of the camps will not accept the election results.

“If I am Danny Levy, the Police Commissioner, one thing needs to bother me from morning to night. Not the deployment of forces on Election Day; police know how to do that best. The problem is on election night, after polls close and reports begin coming in from exit polls and actual election results,” a senior retired police officer said.

He noted that “a dangerous scenario that could occur in these elections is that one of the leaders of the two political blocs declares he does not accept the election results and calls on the public to take to the streets. On the other side, the opposing camp will bring its people into the streets to safeguard the democratic process. In such a case, police will require assistance from additional bodies, chief among them the IDF.”

Former officials warn: ‘It would be a massive failure’

A series of former police officers and Shin Bet officials believe that the “Capitol” scenario must be placed at the top of the priority list in Election Day preparations. They argue that although it represents an extreme scenario, it must be prepared for through operational plans and advance exercises.

“It would be a massive failure if it turns out this scenario was not placed at the top of the list of contingencies and responses. An organized order must be issued detailing police force allocations and reinforcement units for police. Exercises must be conducted at National Headquarters, across all districts and units, and commanders should even participate in a war game. This is an extreme scenario, but it must be prepared for with the utmost seriousness,” a former security official said.

Maariv has learned that Police Commissioner Chief Superintendent Danny Levy held periodic conversations throughout the period with former senior officials in the organization, some of whom raised concerns regarding the scenario.

One retired police major general expressed deep concern over the possibility of election results being challenged and criticized the conduct of various figures in the public and security arenas.

“The Shin Bet and police are the two organizations tasked with safeguarding democracy in Israel. They are responsible for overseeing an orderly transfer of power. Regrettably, today it is difficult to rely on the Shin Bet, and it is unclear to what extent it will act in a professional and statesmanlike manner.

“We are already witnessing the initial stages of this scenario, where a news channel broadcasts weekly results of absurd polls with figures that do not align with other surveys, serving as a form of preparation for a narrative of stolen elections. This is compounded by a campaign of delegitimization against the Central Elections Committee and the Supreme Court.”

The retired major general added that he also fears the presence of numerous firearms in civilian hands and the potential for escalation into violent clashes.

“To all of this, one must add the armed militias established here in Israel over the past four years: regional defense units in Judea and Samaria, standby security squads across the country, and tens of thousands of weapons distributed to civilians. This is definitely a dangerous and violent platform for a civil war. It is the ultimate nightmare. This is a test of leadership, whether leaders are going to create an event around refusing to accept election results, or whether they will act with public responsibility even if they lose,” he said.

US forces are prepared to launch a major attack against Iran “within 96 hours” of receiving the order from US President Donald Trump, two US officials told CNN on Sunday.

While Trump has not made a final decision on whether to commit to major military action after the US midterms, officials said any attack that would be conducted would “be a big effort,” going beyond prior US strikes against Iranian assets that can be quickly rebuilt, such as missile launchers and radars.

One source briefed on the matter told CNN that Israel had been preparing for possibly striking Iran, as well as lobbying the US to participate in the strikes.

However, US officials, including Trump, told Israel to hold off on attacking, likely until after the midterm elections.

“The plans are ready, waiting for Trump’s approval, could be after the midterms,” the source said.

Iran, Houthis unlikely to preemptively strike, but ready for retaliation

Two other sources told CNN that both Iran and the Houthis were taking the possibility of renewed US attacks very seriously, according to US intelligence.

Any attack launched by the US – or Israel – would trigger immediate retaliation against US personnel and facilities in the Middle East, the sources added, which is one of the reasons the US is expected to withdraw more personnel from its embassies in the region.

However, one source familiar with US intelligence assessments said that officials believe that both Iran and the Houthis were unlikely to preemptively strike US or Israeli infrastructure at this stage.

The White House declined to comment, while a senior Pentagon official told CNN that “The Department is a planning organization, and its job is to develop and execute military options ordered by the President.” 

Israelis are postponing vacations and business trips, while others are returning from abroad to vote in Tuesday’s Knesset elections, Channel 13 reported Sunday, citing Ben-Gurion Airport data that shows a significant shift in passenger traffic.

The figures indicate that far fewer Israelis are leaving the country ahead of the October 27 election than in corresponding periods in previous years, while incoming passengers increasingly outnumber those departing.

A comparison of airport traffic between October 17 and 27 in 2022, 2025, and 2026 points to a decline in outbound travel, suggesting that many Israelis consider the upcoming election important enough to change their travel plans.

According to the Channel 13 report, approximately 245,000 passengers were recorded as departing Israel during the period under examination in 2026, compared with 270,000 in 2025, following the end of the war, and 323,000 in 2022, when Israel last held a general election.

The decline is particularly notable because travelers now have access to more aircraft and flights than in previous years.

Incoming passenger traffic presents a different picture. Although no large-scale airlift of special flights was organized to bring voters back to Israel, and arrivals have largely relied on existing aviation infrastructure, the number of passengers entering the country has significantly exceeded departures.

According to the figures cited by Channel 13, the difference between incoming and outgoing passengers has surpassed 90,000 in 2026, compared with a gap of approximately 77,000 during the corresponding period in 2025.

Entering passengers could be equivalent to two Knesset seats in election

The growing difference could carry political significance in an election where relatively small changes in voter turnout may affect the distribution of Knesset seats.

Channel 13 estimated that 90,000 people would be equivalent to approximately two Knesset seats if they were eligible voters who cast valid ballots.

However, the passenger figures do not establish how many people returned specifically to vote. They also include children and foreign nationals ineligible to participate in Israeli elections.

Israel’s electoral threshold is 3.25% of valid votes, so small shifts in turnout could affect whether parties close to the threshold secure representation in the next Knesset.

The increased interest in returning to Israel the vote aligns with a recent Fly&Vote survey, which estimated that about 67,000 Israelis living abroad intended to travel to Israel to vote. The estimate drew on registration data and a voluntary survey, not confirmed arrivals.

Unlike in many other countries, most Israeli citizens living abroad cannot vote remotely and must return to Israel to cast their ballots. The Fly&Vote initiative, run by the AID Coalition, has tried to help overseas Israelis with the process, but its activities were restricted after legal proceedings initiated by Likud.

Ben-Gurion’s grandson returns from US to cast ballot

Among those traveling to Israel specifically to vote is Alon Ben-Gurion, grandson of Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion.

Ben-Gurion arrived in Israel from the United States with his family and traveled to Tiberias to vote, according to Channel 13.

His arrival illustrates the efforts some Israelis living overseas are making to participate in the election.

Interest in traveling to Israel for the vote had already been evident in August, when organizers arranged dedicated flights from New York and Lisbon to accommodate demand among overseas Israelis.

Under Israel’s electoral system, the 120 Knesset seats are distributed proportionally among parties that cross the electoral threshold. Consequently, additional votes from returning Israelis could influence the final seat distribution, though the impact will depend on how those votes are divided among parties.

An estimated 70,000 Israelis living abroad have returned or are expected to return to Israel ahead of Tuesday’s Knesset elections, potentially influencing the results if the race between the political blocs is close.

Although no precise figures are available, estimates suggest that approximately 70,000 Israelis who live overseas have arrived or will arrive in Israel by Election Day.

Could 70,000 Israelis arriving from abroad influence the election results?

In the 2022 elections, approximately 36,000 votes were needed to secure one Knesset seat. Given population growth and an expected increase in voter turnout, estimates suggest that the threshold for a seat could rise to approximately 38,000 to 39,000 votes.

It is difficult to determine which parties most of the Israelis arriving from abroad will support. Some estimates suggest that many will vote for the change bloc, but there is no reliable measure of their political preferences.

Even if, for example, 60% support the change bloc, this would add at most one to one-and-a-half Knesset seats.

These figures, however, remain estimates. The election results will reveal whether Israelis living abroad have tipped the balance in the event of a close race between the political blocs.

Election Day boosts hotel occupancy by 23%

The vast majority of Israelis arriving from overseas are combining family visits and vacations with Election Day. Most are staying with relatives or friends, or in apartments they own in Israel that are currently vacant.

However, some have chosen to stay in hotels.

Africa Israel Hotels reported an approximately 23% increase in hotel occupancy during election week. Although the comparison is with October of last year, when the security situation was more complicated, the increase appears significant.

“We are seeing an increase in occupancy at Africa Israel Hotels properties across the country ahead of Election Day. We are seeing more Israelis choosing to combine exercising their democratic right with a short vacation, taking advantage of the opportunity to break from their routine and enjoy a hotel stay,” said Alex Eliyahu, marketing director of Africa Israel Hotels.

“Alongside the increase in demand, the chain is offering particularly attractive promotions and accommodation packages for Election Day, allowing guests to enjoy vacations at a variety of destinations across the country at affordable prices.”

Fattal Hotels also reported an increase in room occupancy at its properties, particularly in central Israel.

“We are seeing an increase in bookings compared with October of last year, apparently due to the elections,” said Maya Shalev, vice president of marketing and sales at Fattal Hotels.

“Many Israelis are taking advantage of the day off to combine voting with a vacation. Accordingly, we have offered promotions of up to 30% off, along with an additional 10% discount for members of the ‘Fattal and Friends’ club between October 25 and 29. At the same time, we are seeing bookings made from abroad for these dates, which may indicate that Israelis are coming to Israel to vote.”

‘I came from Miami to vote’: Israelis returning to the ballot box

Among the tens of thousands who attended the October Council rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday night were Israelis living abroad.

“I came from Miami to vote. I coordinated my vacation in Israel with Election Day, and I’m returning to the US at the beginning of November,” said Judy, who has lived in the US for more than 50 years.

“Many Israelis living in Miami and Los Angeles tend to vote for the Right. I’m different, and I’m not alone.”

Nurit, from the South Sharon area, attended the rally with her son-in-law and grandson, who had arrived from Canada.

“My grandson is voting for the first time. He’s 18 years old. They’re combining a family visit with voting in the elections. My daughter stayed in Canada to be with my younger grandson.”

Ofer, who arrived from New York, also shared his experience.

“We came to Israel specifically to vote. We’re returning to the US the day after the elections. We have family here, and it’s an opportunity to see everyone.”

Gidi, who arrived from Australia with his wife, is scheduled to fly out of Ben-Gurion Airport on Wednesday.

“We’ve already been here for three weeks. We’ve met with many family members and friends. And I’m going back on Wednesday because I have work commitments. My wife will stay here for another two weeks.”

In contrast, Zehava, who arrived on a flight from New York, said: “I’m voting for Likud, and I came to visit family ahead of the elections. I planned it in advance.”

Canceled flights leave some Israelis unable to vote

Some Israelis had hoped to travel to Israel but were left stranded abroad after flydubai canceled flights following an attempted terrorist attack.

“Flydubai’s cancellation caused flight prices to the Far East to rise,” explained a young man who had planned to travel to Israel ahead of the elections.

There are also Israelis who live in Israel but will be abroad on Election Day. However, their number appears to be lower than the number of Israelis arriving from overseas.

“I booked the flight tickets for a vacation with my husband in Vietnam almost a year ago, and we didn’t know the elections would be held in October. This will be the first time I don’t vote. It breaks my heart, but we’re going ahead with the vacation we started planning a year ago,” said Racheli from Ramat Gan.

“It’s a shame that Israelis traveling abroad can’t vote on Election Day.”

An estimated 70,000 Israelis living abroad have returned or are expected to return to Israel ahead of Tuesday’s Knesset elections, potentially influencing the results if the race between the political blocs is close.

Although no precise figures are available, estimates suggest that approximately 70,000 Israelis who live overseas have arrived or will arrive in Israel by Election Day.

Could 70,000 Israelis arriving from abroad influence the election results?

In the 2022 elections, approximately 36,000 votes were needed to secure one Knesset seat. Given population growth and an expected increase in voter turnout, estimates suggest that the threshold for a seat could rise to approximately 38,000 to 39,000 votes.

It is difficult to determine which parties most of the Israelis arriving from abroad will support. Some estimates suggest that many will vote for the change bloc, but there is no reliable measure of their political preferences.

Even if, for example, 60% support the change bloc, this would add at most one to one-and-a-half Knesset seats.

These figures, however, remain estimates. The election results will reveal whether Israelis living abroad have tipped the balance in the event of a close race between the political blocs.

Election Day boosts hotel occupancy by 23%

The vast majority of Israelis arriving from overseas are combining family visits and vacations with Election Day. Most are staying with relatives or friends, or in apartments they own in Israel that are currently vacant.

However, some have chosen to stay in hotels.

Africa Israel Hotels reported an approximately 23% increase in hotel occupancy during election week. Although the comparison is with October of last year, when the security situation was more complicated, the increase appears significant.

“We are seeing an increase in occupancy at Africa Israel Hotels properties across the country ahead of Election Day. We are seeing more Israelis choosing to combine exercising their democratic right with a short vacation, taking advantage of the opportunity to break from their routine and enjoy a hotel stay,” said Alex Eliyahu, marketing director of Africa Israel Hotels.

“Alongside the increase in demand, the chain is offering particularly attractive promotions and accommodation packages for Election Day, allowing guests to enjoy vacations at a variety of destinations across the country at affordable prices.”

Fattal Hotels also reported an increase in room occupancy at its properties, particularly in central Israel.

“We are seeing an increase in bookings compared with October of last year, apparently due to the elections,” said Maya Shalev, vice president of marketing and sales at Fattal Hotels.

“Many Israelis are taking advantage of the day off to combine voting with a vacation. Accordingly, we have offered promotions of up to 30% off, along with an additional 10% discount for members of the ‘Fattal and Friends’ club between October 25 and 29. At the same time, we are seeing bookings made from abroad for these dates, which may indicate that Israelis are coming to Israel to vote.”

‘I came from Miami to vote’: Israelis returning to the ballot box

Among the tens of thousands who attended the October Council rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday night were Israelis living abroad.

“I came from Miami to vote. I coordinated my vacation in Israel with Election Day, and I’m returning to the US at the beginning of November,” said Judy, who has lived in the US for more than 50 years.

“Many Israelis living in Miami and Los Angeles tend to vote for the Right. I’m different, and I’m not alone.”

Nurit, from the South Sharon area, attended the rally with her son-in-law and grandson, who had arrived from Canada.

“My grandson is voting for the first time. He’s 18 years old. They’re combining a family visit with voting in the elections. My daughter stayed in Canada to be with my younger grandson.”

Ofer, who arrived from New York, also shared his experience.

“We came to Israel specifically to vote. We’re returning to the US the day after the elections. We have family here, and it’s an opportunity to see everyone.”

Gidi, who arrived from Australia with his wife, is scheduled to fly out of Ben-Gurion Airport on Wednesday.

“We’ve already been here for three weeks. We’ve met with many family members and friends. And I’m going back on Wednesday because I have work commitments. My wife will stay here for another two weeks.”

In contrast, Zehava, who arrived on a flight from New York, said: “I’m voting for Likud, and I came to visit family ahead of the elections. I planned it in advance.”

Canceled flights leave some Israelis unable to vote

Some Israelis had hoped to travel to Israel but were left stranded abroad after flydubai canceled flights following an attempted terrorist attack.

“Flydubai’s cancellation caused flight prices to the Far East to rise,” explained a young man who had planned to travel to Israel ahead of the elections.

There are also Israelis who live in Israel but will be abroad on Election Day. However, their number appears to be lower than the number of Israelis arriving from overseas.

“I booked the flight tickets for a vacation with my husband in Vietnam almost a year ago, and we didn’t know the elections would be held in October. This will be the first time I don’t vote. It breaks my heart, but we’re going ahead with the vacation we started planning a year ago,” said Racheli from Ramat Gan.

“It’s a shame that Israelis traveling abroad can’t vote on Election Day.”

Fuel prices in Israel are expected to rise sharply immediately after the elections, as a temporary NIS 1 per liter fuel tax reduction introduced by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is set to expire on November 3.

Combined with rising global oil prices amid expectations of renewed fighting involving Israel, the US and Iran, the expiration of the tax cut could push the price of 95-octane gasoline above NIS 9 per liter, up from its current price of NIS 7.77.

Smotrich introduced the temporary reduction in the state’s excise tax on gasoline last month to prevent fuel prices from soaring ahead of the elections.

The original order, signed a month earlier, reduced the tax by half a shekel per liter. However, rising oil prices prompted Smotrich to double the reduction.

Under normal circumstances, taxes account for more than 60% of the price of gasoline in Israel, generating approximately NIS 20 billion in annual state revenue.

According to the Finance Ministry’s Budget Department, the tax cuts introduced over the past two months are expected to reduce state revenue by approximately NIS 467 million, at a time when the ongoing war has driven defense spending to record levels.

Election outcome could determine fate of fuel tax relief as fuel prices could top NIS 8

Following the elections, Smotrich will have to decide whether to extend the tax reduction. However, if it becomes clear the current government will not remain in office, he could let fuel prices surge, leaving the next government to deal with the economic consequences.

Regardless of whether the tax cut is extended, the first fuel price increase is expected as early as Saturday night.

Expectations of a third round of fighting involving Israel, Iran and the US have already pushed oil prices up by approximately 10% compared with late September, when the Energy Ministry’s Fuel Administration set gasoline prices for October.

As a result, even if the tax reduction remains in effect, gasoline prices are currently expected to rise by approximately 30 agorot per liter, bringing the price to just over NIS 8.

The final price will be determined toward the end of the week, based on oil prices in the Mediterranean basin at that time. However, the new price could remain in effect for only a few days.

Gazans should be sent to emigrate to France or other countries in Europe so that Israel can “conquer the whole territory” of the Gaza Strip, far Right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir told The Jerusalem Post in a recent interview, arguing that he supported US President Donald Trump’s plan to relocate Palestinians there.

“If you ask me what should be done in Gaza, we should conquer the entire territory. All of it. It is our land, the Jewish people’s land. And we should encourage emigration,” Ben-Gvir told the Post.

In February 2025, Trump proposed relocating approximately two million Gazans as part of an emigration plan, though the proposal has since stalled.

Amid the current protests in France, Ben-Gvir has recently shared AI-generated videos depicting Gazans being transported to Paris by the far Right minister himself.

“This is a very good plan proposed by Donald Trump: encouraging emigration. Many of them could go to better places,” Ben-Gvir said, arguing they would receive good conditions in Europe.

“There are more attractive places, places looking for workers, and places where they could live more comfortably,” he said.

“Why not send them to France, for example? Give them good conditions in other countries, perhaps Britain, London, or places like that,” the minister added.

Polling projects Ben-Gvir’s party to win roughly eight seats in next Knesset

Ben-Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party has been a key member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.

Recent polling projects Otzma Yehudit to win about eight seats in the next Knesset. Ben-Gvir has announced that he will demand the defense portfolio in the next government.

When asked what he thought about Palestinians who would object to leaving the Gaza Strip, arguing that it was their home and refusing to move even under good conditions, Ben-Gvir referenced the October 7 Hamas massacre in 2023.

“Someone whose home it is does not start a war and massacre children. Someone whose home it is does not rape women. Someone whose home it is does not burn babies. Once they did those things, they lost the legitimacy of making that argument,” the minister said.

“You cannot make that argument and say it was just one, two, or three people, or that it was only a small number. There were many, many, many, many [Palestinians] involved,” he added.

“And there were also people we describe as uninvolved civilians who tortured our male and female hostages.”

“This has to stop. This cannot continue. I believe that someone who says and does these things, someone who inflicts this kind of harm, cannot claim that this is their home. People do not behave like that in their own home,” Ben-Gvir added.

Ben-Gvir advocated for ‘bombing Gaza’ before October 7 attacks

The far Right minister repeatedly opposed hostage-ceasefire deals throughout the Israel-Hamas War, advocating for continued military action rather than an agreement.

When asked whether he regretted his stance, Ben-Gvir did not answer directly, instead arguing that the cabinet should have listened to him more before October 7. He also said that Netanyahu bore responsibility for the October 7 attacks.

“Before October 7, when I was going to cabinet meetings, I kept saying, ‘Let’s bomb Gaza. Let’s carry out targeted killings,’” he said.

“Imagine if they had listened to me on this … it’s a great shame,” he added.

Ben-Gvir, whose views are often characterized as extreme, has been criticized for rhetoric that opponents say has contributed to the deterioration of Israel’s international image. He has also faced criticism over rising crime rates, particularly in the Arab sector, during the government’s term.

Regarding the rise in crime in the Arab sector, Ben-Gvir argued that a main factor behind the increase was restrictions imposed on him by Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara.

According to Ben-Gvir, early on, he wanted to introduce spyware into homes in Arab communities to allow police to listen in on conversations.

When asked about criticism that doing so would infringe on the right to privacy, Ben-Gvir claimed that such measures were permissible in some cases.

“There are cases where it is permissible to infringe on privacy, when we’re talking about murderers. In the end, murderers also kill children, including young children, so this is a very good thing.”

Ben-Gvir praises his work as National Security Minister

Ben-Gvir also said he had been unable to secure the budget for certain technological advancements, and that crime rates had lowered after some budgets were approved.

He argued that the police have been doing well, praising officers for their work.

“We have excellent police officers and female officers who are fighting on the front lines. They are entering these communities, exercising force, and establishing governance, and I am very proud of them.”

“Are they lacking intelligence capabilities? Yes, that’s true,” he added.

Ben-Gvir called on the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) to become more involved in police work, arguing that the agency has the technology to enhance the police’s capabilities.

When asked whether he was concerned about the damage to Israel’s international standing that critics say has already occurred and warn could worsen, Ben-Gvir answered that Israel’s image abroad mattered to him, but that he would not “endanger the lives of soldiers” for it.

“I will not endanger the lives of combatants, soldiers, or civilians here just because I want Israel to look good in the eyes of the world,” he said.

This article is the second half of the complete interview with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The first half was published on Friday and can be found on JPost.com

Israel Police exposed a network of accounts on the social media platform X/Twitter suspected of trying to influence the outcome of the upcoming Knesset elections, the police announced on Sunday. 

The suspicious activity was uncovered through a joint monitoring operation by the police and the State Attorney’s Office, and a number of the accounts were removed to prevent them from exerting undue influence on the Israeli public’s voting decisions.

Police Commissioner Danny Levy said on Sunday that the police have completed extensive preparations to ensure the security of the elections and public safety in the wake of election results. 

“We will not allow violence, threats, incitement or criminality to harm the will of the voter. I have declared in recent months that we will not allow bullying from any side to harm the democratic process, and so we will,” Levy vowed. “Preserving Israeli democracy is our mission. We will fulfill it impartially and without compromise.”

On Thursday, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced a similar move in which numerous accounts were removed from social media sites for manipulation efforts. 

According to the Shin Bet, the activity of the now-removed accounts may have allowed for foreign influence on the election.

OSINT investigation found Iran-linked accounts posing as Israelis

In late September, an investigation conducted by open-source intelligence platform Golden Owl found that Iran-linked actors had been tied to social media accounts where individuals posed as Israeli citizens and made claims about Israeli politics.

Researchers found that multiple of the accounts were found to have made posts claiming that the election results would be stolen, and others posted misinformation about the voting process itself.

Danielle Greyman-Kennard and Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.

Yashar, founded in September 2025, is one of many vying for citizens’ votes in the elections for the 26th Knesset, which will be held on October 27.

Led by Gadi Eisenkot, Yashar occupies the political center and currently leads the polls, making the former IDF chief of staff the top contender to lead the next government and replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Eisenkot entered politics in August 2022 through Benny Gantz’s National Unity alliance, which brought together Gantz’s Blue and White and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope, taking third place on the list.

Although Eisenkot initially ruled out serving under Netanyahu, he and Gantz joined the emergency government after the October 7 massacre. Gantz became a member of the war cabinet, while Eisenkot served as an observer. Both left the government in June 2024, accusing Netanyahu’s leadership of failing to make the strategic decisions needed to achieve the war’s objectives.

In July 2025, Eisenkot left National Unity and resigned from the Knesset, citing the need for a transparent and democratic process for selecting the party’s candidates. He said he wanted to build a broader leadership alternative capable of defeating the government, arguing that National Unity had failed to implement the internal reforms he sought. 

Two months later, he founded Yashar alongside former politicians, senior security figures, and other public figures, presenting it as a broad alternative focused on Israel’s security, national interests, and democratic character.

Yashar did not exist in the 25th Knesset, but the party has quickly risen through the ranks to become the leading party in the polls, which predict the party to win some 21-23 seats.

Confronting Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah while opposing Palestinian statehood

Yashar places national security at the center of its platform, reflecting Eisenkot’s background as a former IDF chief. The party’s foreign policy focuses on confronting Iran, dismantling Hamas’s rule in Gaza, containing Hezbollah in Lebanon, and determining the future of Palestinian governance and security arrangements.

Yashar presents Iran as a continuing strategic threat. Eisenkot himself has favored a lasting, verifiable resolution of Iran’s nuclear threat.

If diplomacy fails, his proposals include US-enforced restrictions around remaining enriched-uranium sites and wider covert action against Iran’s missile capabilities.

On Gaza, the party’s stated approach combines replacing Hamas with retaining an Israeli security corridor. Eisenkot would also allow reconstruction to advance incrementally alongside partial disarmament. Earlier in October, Eisenkot pledged to destroy Hamas’s military wing and dismantle its leadership within 18 months.

In Lebanon, Eisenkot supports a security zone while seeking stronger American and French involvement in efforts to confront Hezbollah.

Regarding Palestinian statehood, Eisenkot has opposed establishing a Palestinian state, though he told The Jerusalem Post he would consider the Palestinian Authority preferable to continued Hamas rule if those are the alternatives.

On settlements, he told the Post he would return Civil Administration responsibilities to military coordination and restore military coordination of policing in the West Bank.

Eisenkot’s goals: Ease cost of living, draft haredim, and reform Israel’s economy

Yashar’s domestic platform focuses on reforming military-service obligations, easing the cost of living, and directing economic support toward working Israelis, young people, and those who serve the country.

Yashar’s clearest established position is its opposition to blanket haredi (ultra-Orthodox) exemptions from military service. 

Eisenkot has proposed sanctions for evasion and benefits for those who serve, while allowing a limited Torah-study exemption for 3% of each annual haredi cohort. That allowance qualifies his universal-service message and has drawn criticism from opposition rivals demanding no exemptions.

Yashar also proposes expanding service obligations and giving servicemen greater priority in civilian benefits. Its September youth plan proposed raising compulsory-service soldiers’ pay by 15%, with a 50% increase for combat soldiers in their third year.

The party’s proposals place particular emphasis on those who contribute through military service and work.

Economist and Yashar candidate Shaul Meridor placed the “working middle class, young people, and service people” at the center of its economic policy.

Meridor outlined tax changes to reward those bearing the economic and security burden, together with priority in housing assistance and daycare subsidies. The reporting does not specify a full schedule of tax rates.

On living costs and competition, the party has advocated challenging exclusive import arrangements and reducing barriers in concentrated markets such as groceries and cosmetics.

The party’s September youth plan also outlined renter protections, paid internships, and practical financial guidance.

What a vote for this party is likely to produce

A vote for Yashar is most likely a vote to strengthen Eisenkot’s claim to the premiership and help build a coalition with former prime minister Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad, Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu, and Yair Golan’s Democrats.

The four parties have agreed to coordinate campaigning and prepare principles for a future government, but have not settled how the bloc’s candidate for prime minister would be selected.

Eisenkot favors the leader of the largest party becoming the candidate for prime minister and has rejected a rotation arrangement. While that position still requires agreement from prospective partners, all four opposition leaders stressed in separate interviews during the election campaign that they would coalesce around an agreed-upon candidate following the election.

In a September interview with the Post, Eisenkot laid out his conditions for coalition eligibility, including accepting Israel’s Jewish and democratic identity, service obligations, and supporting the dismantling of Hamas.

His parameters exclude Arab parties Ra’am and the Joint List, and likely the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties Shas and United Torah Judaism as viable partners.

If the bloc falls short of 61 seats, it would need additional partners or support. Haredi parties accepting service reform represent a conditional opening in Eisenkot’s position, although his allies’ red lines could complicate it.

For voters, Yashar offers a path toward replacing Netanyahu, but the election result will determine how far that path goes. 

Eisenkot must turn support for his leadership into a majority whose members agree on who should govern and what they are prepared to concede. The decisive test will be whether he can assemble those 61 seats while preserving the promises that brought voters to him.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States would not launch a military strike against Iran today.

Asked by a reporter whether a US attack on Iran could take place as soon as today, Trump replied: “Would I tell you that? The answer is no. There will not be a strike today.”

The president did not rule out military action at a later date.

Earlier on Sunday, Trump told reporters that he has yet to make a decision on whether or not to renew strikes against Iran. 

“Should I finish the job – which would be very easy to do – or should I reach an agreement? That is the whole decision,” he said.

Trump says ‘not much going on’ at Iranian nuclear sites, Netanyahu claims Israel facing existential threat

Trump added that the US is actively monitoring activity at Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site as well as three other sites that were allegedly destroyed in previous strikes. 

“There isn’t much activity going on there,” he clarified.

Trump’s comments came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in a post on X/Twitter that Israel is currently facing “real and tangible existential danger” coming from Iran.

Netanyahu claimed that only a small window of time remains for Israel and the US to act and completely defeat Iran.

Netanyahu also shared a video from one of the IDF’s anti-missile batteries where he said: “The IDF is prepared on both defense and in offense. I warn our enemies – you will absorb strikes out of proportion, stronger than you can even imagine.”

Trump said on Friday that Washington is weighing another military operation against Iran, saying that the US “may do another little Epic Fury” during a pre-midterm election rally in Florida.

The fact that Saudi Arabia was among the signatories of a joint statement declaring Israel as “the fundamental source of instability in the region and beyond” is not a sign that Riyadh has abandoned all future interest in joining the Abraham Accords, Gulf analyst Dr. Ahmed Alkhuzaie told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.

The statement signed on Sunday by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt shows a regional alignment among major powers whose “strategic priorities do not always align,” Alkhuzaie said.

“By collectively declaring that, as per their statement, ‘the Israeli occupation’ constitutes the principal source of instability in the region, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan are signaling the emergence of a broader diplomatic consensus that views the Palestinian issue not as an isolated conflict, but as a central driver of wider regional turbulence.”

The statement is “particularly noteworthy” as Riyadh has traditionally balanced its support for Palestinians with pragmatism and diplomacy, he continued, and so by publicly endorsing language that places responsibility for instability on Israeli policies and reaffirming support for a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, Riyadh “appears intent on anchoring its position within a broader Arab and Muslim framework rather than pursuing an independent diplomatic track.”

Though Alkhuzaie acknowledged that the statement placed Israel as the problem in the region, he advised that it should not be interpreted as the concrete end of hopes for Saudi-Israel normalization.

“It suggests that the political and diplomatic conditions surrounding normalization have become considerably more demanding. The statement reinforces the message that Riyadh is unlikely to separate relations with Israel from meaningful progress on the Palestinian file,” he said.

“In effect, Saudi Arabia is signaling that normalization can no longer be advanced solely through strategic, economic, or security calculations while the Palestinian question remains unresolved.”

He noted that Riyadh was positioning itself as “a leading architect of regional stability.”

Pointing to the fact that the same joint statement also condemned the Houthis attacks against Saudi Arabia and maritime shipping, Alkhuzaie said that the calls for diplomacy signal that “Saudi policymakers increasingly view Palestine, regional security, maritime stability, and de-escalation with Iran as interconnected components of a single regional order.”

“Viewed through that lens, the statement is less a rejection of future normalization than a reminder that any such process will likely remain contingent on credible movement toward a political settlement of the Palestinian issue,” he said.

Special envoy doesn’t view statement as sign of abandoning idea of normalization

Waqas Javed, the Global Abrahamic Movement’s special envoy for Saudi Arabia, an NGO that promotes peace across the Middle East, told the Post that he also didn’t view the statement as a sign that Riyadh was abandoning the idea of normalization altogether.

“Saudi Arabia may have reasons to strengthen its defense relationships with Pakistan and Turkey. However, such partnerships need not be directed against Israel or interpreted as a rejection of the Abraham Accords. Regional security arrangements are most constructive when they reduce the risk of conflict rather than reinforce divisions between competing political blocs,” he said.

“For Riyadh, the strategic opportunity lies in maintaining its independent diplomatic relationships while exploring whether engagement with Israel could contribute to a more secure and economically integrated region. Saudi Arabia can retain strong ties with Pakistan and Turkey without making its future relationship with Israel a zero-sum choice.”

A new report released by the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) details the allocation of $908 million raised across the Jewish Federation network to support Israel in the wake of the October 7, 2023, attacks and the subsequent period of rocket fire from Hezbollah, cross-border drone threats, and direct conflicts with Iran.

Of the total funds raised, $252 million was allocated through the central fund of the Israel Emergency Response Committee, which operated for two years before completing its work in the fall of 2025. The remaining funds were allocated directly by individual federations.

Operating through four core pillars covering lifeline services, medical and trauma relief, economic relief, and community resilience, the committee distributed 800 grants to more than 400 organizations and initiatives. Much of this distribution was executed alongside long-standing partners including the Jewish Agency for Israel and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).

Rebecca Caspi, Director-General of JFNA’s Israel office, said in a statement to The Jerusalem Post, “This report is a powerful reminder to the Israeli people that Jewish Federations have their back. For more than 100 years, Jewish Federations have helped build Israel, investing in its communities, strengthening its society, and supporting its people even before the establishment of the State.”

“After October 7, that longstanding commitment became an unprecedented emergency response, with Federations raising $908 million to provide lifesaving relief, care for the most vulnerable, and help communities endure and recover through three years of war. That work laid the foundation for our current Rebuild Israel framework, with a focus on restoring communities, helping Israelis heal, and building a stronger future,” Caspi told the Post.

Over $47 million in funding directed towards immediate relief for displaced families

The emergency response directed over $47 million toward basic needs and immediate relief. Families who evacuated their homes with minimal belongings received clean clothing, hot meals, hygiene essentials, and safe shelter. Funding also went toward emergency preparedness, including training volunteers, improving communication technology, repairing bomb shelters, and supplying essential equipment to first responders through a national JDC initiative.

The aid reached populations facing hidden vulnerabilities, including households struggling with extended grocery needs and individuals encountering increased domestic violence. “My youngest hasn’t slept through the night since the sirens started. The flashlight you brought has let him sleep through the night for the first time in months. Such a simple thing has restored his sense of safety in an uncertain world,” a grandmother in Nahariya said, according to the report.

In medical care and rehabilitation, the JFNA allocated over $27 million to support emergency medical teams and patients. Basic ambulances were upgraded into mobile intensive care units, and hospitals across the country received lifesaving equipment and expanded capacities to function during sustained missile attacks, including moving departments underground.

The funding also addressed emerging wartime injuries by bringing foreign physicians to underserved regions, expanding screening capabilities for concussive brain injuries, and adapting housing for severely wounded soldiers. “I can drive, which is a dream. I feel real improvement when it comes to the movement of our arms and legs, which gives me a feeling of relief that there is light at the end of the tunnel,” an injured soldier in rehabilitation stated in the report.

Contributions used to fund treatment for psychological trauma

To address widespread psychological trauma, an additional $23.2 million was allocated toward mental health and resilience. Within the first month, contributions reached every psychiatric hospital in the country, followed by the establishment of community-based mental health centers in partnership with the Ministry of Health. Support spanned individual and group therapies, unconventional programs like surfing and public art therapy, and training for school staff to recognize severe trauma.

Vulnerable populations hardest hit by the emergency received over $19 million. This funding provided specialized safety measures, such as equipping residential facilities for children with disabilities to move to shelters quickly, distributing vibrating alert bracelets to the hearing impaired, and supplying mobile safe rooms to Bedouin villages in the Negev that lacked permanent shelters.

The allocation also funded caseworkers and hot meals for elderly Israelis and Holocaust survivors, Arabic-language mental health care, and support for the Jewish Agency in offering programming for new immigrants in absorption centers under missile attacks, alongside helping new immigrants, Russian-speaking Israelis, and refugees access counseling, respite, and company in their native language.

For victims of terror and war, allocations totaled over $30.9 million. This funding supported the Jewish Agency’s Fund for Victims of Terror to cover immediate relocation costs for families whose homes were destroyed. Federations provided continuous support for bereaved families, hostages and their families, Nova festival survivors, and survivors of sexual assault through memorial arrangements, support circles, and specialized community spaces.

Reservists and their families received $4.5 million as frequent, short-notice call-ups disrupted civilian life. Working alongside national and local government, Jewish Federations established the National Headquarters for Families of Reservists to serve as a single community resource, while also funding loans, employment counseling, legal aid, and couples’ workshops for returning soldiers.

To mitigate disruptions caused by school closures and evacuations, over $19 million was allocated to education and youth-at-risk. The funding supported interim and remote education, teacher recruitment, tutoring, matriculation boot camps, and upgraded school shelters. It also sustained youth movements, summer camps, and mentorship initiatives such as the Jewish Agency’s Youth Futures program, giving children structured routines and engagement opportunities.

For economic relief and community partnerships, the Israel Small Business Loan Fund received over $48 million to keep people employed, finance job placement and upskilling, and help agricultural initiatives like ReGrow replace destroyed farming equipment in the Negev and replant northern orchards.

Concurrently, the central fund allocated over $28 million to partner directly with communities in the Gaza envelope and northern border regions, equipping public shelters, hosting evacuees, restoring communal spaces, and funding long-term resilience plans developed with local authorities.

Rabbi Eli Sadan, the religious mentor of People of Israel party leader Ofer Winter, on Sunday expressed confidence that Winter would cross the electoral threshold, two days before the election.

The statement came despite recent efforts by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to persuade Sadan to pressure Winter to withdraw from the race.

Netanyahu has also called on voters not to support smaller right-wing parties hovering near the electoral threshold, such as the People of Israel party.

“I wish Ofer Winter success in passing the electoral threshold,” Sadan said.

“I believe that only if Ofer Winter passes the electoral threshold will Bibi [Netanyahu] have a full right-wing government,” he added. “That is what I hope will happen.”

Winter asserts he has no intention of dropping out

Last week, Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who leads the far-right Religious Zionist Party (RZP), met with Sadan in an attempt to pressure Winter to withdraw.

During the meeting, the two reportedly highlighted concerns that Winter’s party would fail to cross the electoral threshold, according to recent polls, potentially costing the right-wing bloc Knesset seats.

Despite the attempts, the People of Israel party chairman has repeatedly asserted that he has no intention of dropping out.

Winter’s religious mentor also said on Sunday that he believed Netanyahu “was an excellent prime minister who did many good things for the people of Israel over the years, and I would very much like him to continue serving as prime minister.”

However, Sadan rejected reports that he had urged people not to vote for Winter because his party would fail to cross the electoral threshold, saying, “I think that is incorrect. I certainly did not say that.”

Winter endorses Netanyahu despite PM’s calls to withdraw from race

Winter’s People of Israel party has endorsed Netanyahu for prime minister. The party has recently been polling below or just above the required electoral threshold.

Netanyahu last week called on Winter to withdraw from the race to “save the Right,” reiterating his earlier remarks that doing so would “prevent a dangerous left-wing government” led by the opposition bloc seeking to replace him. He has warned that splitting the right-wing vote could cost his camp the election.

On Wednesday, Smotrich also offered Winter a ministerial position in the Defense Ministry in exchange for withdrawing from the elections.

The position would have come from a ministerial allocation granted to RZP as part of potential coalition negotiations. However, Winter also rejected that offer.

The People of Israel party has sought to bring together people who have never served in the Knesset and were not part of the political or security failures surrounding the Hamas-led October 7 massacre.

The health and wellbeing of around 1200 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank is being put at risk by the forced displacement being carried out in response to a terror attack carried out by two terrorists last week, multiple Israeli human rights organizations told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.

The IDF announced that its operation in the Al-Jaladah and Ein Deir Baha neighborhoods near the military checkpoint at the entrance to Hebron was aimed at locating terrorists and weapons and would include demolitions.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the operation as “collective punishment,” while Palestinian officials warned that it would have a significant impact on civilian life. Yousef Zouhair Al-Jabari, head of Hebron’s municipality, told Reuters that around 1,300 additional people faced losing their homes, on top of the 1,200 already displaced.

Al-Jabari alleged that the military had demolished shops, factories, homes, and roads in Hebron.

Milena Ansari, director of Physicians for Human Rights Israel’s Palestinian Territory Department, told the Post that the effects of the latest operation were already being felt by sick and vulnerable residents.

Palestinians fear displacement could be more long-term

Citing the testimony of Osama Abu Sbeih, a Palestinian ambulance driver with the private Al-Salam Ambulance service in Hebron, PHRI reported multiple incidents in which patients were unable to reach critical medical care promptly, including a six-month-old baby suffering from a lung infection who had to wait two days to be transferred from a hospital in Ramallah to Hebron.

“Crews are relying on passing patients from one ambulance to another at checkpoints. Even our mobile clinic that usually goes across the West Bank to provide medical treatment couldn’t reach Msafaryatta for a scheduled medical day,” Ansari said. “But it’s the long-term damage, which is a bit less visible but is as serious as what we’re seeing right now on the ground.”

Ansari shared her fears that the temporary displacement would become more long-term, and warned that the Palestinians housed in temporary shelters or in the crowded homes of relatives would be at risk. Noting that many of the shelters lack proper heating, entering the winter months without proper housing could drive respiratory infections.

For those with chronic conditions, she continued, the disruption to routine can create emergencies. Patients with hypertension, diabetes and on dialysis might particularly struggle should these disruptions become long-term, she warned.

“The psychological toll of being forced out of your home in the middle of the night, especially for the children…These psychological hardships last longer even after an operation ends,” Ansari shared.

Israeli rights group tells IDF there’s no link between demolitions and terror attack

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, in a letter addressed to senior officials in the IDF, including IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, seen by the Post, complained that there was no evidence of links between the houses being destroyed and the terrorists who carried out last week’s attacks.

ACRI also shared concern in response to the Palestinian claim that some of the displaced were removed from their home at night and left without shelter, that worshipers had been cut off from accessing the Ibrahimi mosque and that thousands were cut off from reaching work and school.

“No attack, however grave, gives the military license to punish an entire city. Families who had nothing to do with the attack are being driven out and their homes demolished, while ministers present this to voters, a few days before the election, as the price Palestinians must pay. That is collective punishment. The military must stop it and let these families return home now, and ACRI will use every legal means available to make sure it does,” said Noa Sattath, Executive Director of ACRI. 

When the Mossad took the stunning move of publishing multiple videos in real time of its agents acting against the regime within Iran in June 2025, one of the main reasons was to overwhelm and confuse the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), former Mossad chief David Barnea has revealed.

The comments were leaked on Sunday from a closed-door audience at the Priority Summit this past Thursday.

On June 13, 2025, the Mossad released sensational and rare video footage of its co-lead role with the air force in Israel’s preemptive strike on Iran’s ballistic missiles and air defenses.

Three videos showed the Mossad targeting ballistic missile targets, air defense targets, and general preparations for the attacks (with the agents’ faces covered up)

From the perspective of the videos, it appeared that the Mossad used drones from inside Iran to attack various targets.

Iran had previously accused the Mossad of using drones to attack the Karaj facility in June 2021 as well as other operations.

Mossad’s warehouse of drones used to sabotage Iran

It was later confirmed that the Mossad used an entire warehouse of drones to attack and sabotage Iran, along with helping with a large number of remote-controlled vehicles attacking regime targets, and a significant number of human agents on the ground also assisting in assassinations.

Although far more information was quickly publicized about the IDF’s actions, these videos gave readers a rare front-row and real-time seat into what normally were entirely clandestine operations which the Mossad would not even admit to.

Barnea said at the Priority Summit that the video was deliberately published to trigger mass arrests and make it more difficult for the IRGC to identify actual Israeli agents.

“One of the reasons we immediately released an official video on the morning of Operation Rising Lion, with the Mossad logo, was to protect the agents who were there,” Barnea said in a video Yediot Ahronot shared, which The Jerusalem Post confirmed as authentic. “We wanted to make sure they arrested so many people in Iran that they wouldn’t be able to distinguish the wheat from the chaff and would eventually release everyone,” adding that Iran did release all of the detainees.

IRGC arrested over 20,000 people on second day of war

The former Mossad chief said that the IRGC arrested 21,000 people on the second day of the fighting.

“You have to imagine that when you arrest 21,000 people, even if you’ve caught an agent or two, eventually you have to release them because everyone’s story will be the same: I was walking down the street, I was driving a car, they arrested me,” he said, emphasizing that the IRGC would have no way of knowing who was a real agent with such a vast number of detainees.

Barnea added that many of those arrested or executed by the IRGC as “Mossad agents” had nothing to do with the agency.

In addition, he said that nearly all of the Mossad agents were never caught, and at the end of the June 2025 operation, he even publicly taunted the IRGC, issuing a statement: “We will [continue to] be there, like we have been there.”

His explanation may close the book on the unexplained mystery of why the Mossad would have risked broadcasting some of its agents’ actions in real-time during the June 2025 operation.

In September 2025, the Post reported exclusively that dozens of Mossad women penetrated Iran and were on the ground performing a variety of kinds of operations during Israel’s attacks on Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs in June 2025.

While the Mossad does not want to bring too much attention to any one sub-group of potential spies, the Post’s impression was that the Mossad women of 2025 were doing more of every kind of spy role as compared to their sisters of yesterday.

In that same September report, the Post noted that Barnea sent hundreds of Mossad agents, or individuals being run by agents, into operations in Iran simultaneously. All of the varying groups of staff were highly coordinated.

The spy chief directed a project that brought together a wide spectrum of agents and backgrounds.

On top of actual Israeli Mossad agents, the spy service has reached new levels in recruiting and training local dissident Iranian agents to act against the ayatollahs’ regime, the Post reported at the time.

While the early 2026 war with Iran is viewed by many as a mixed bag, the June 2025 war was viewed as the most successful Israeli operation of the last three years, along with the exploding beepers used against Hezbollah.

Election day in Israel is expected to bring cooler temperatures and rain in southern and eastern Israel, raising the question: Will Dreary weather keep Israelis away from the polls?

The expected rain will intensify at midday, mainly in the south and east, with thunderstorms, gusty winds, and hail. Significant flash flooding is also possible in the Negev and Arava streambeds, and in the Dead Sea area.

Is there any real basis for this fear? The data show the answer is an unequivocal no.

Looking back, Israel has no proven link between rain and voter turnout. In fact, the all-time turnout record of 87% was set in the First Knesset elections in January 1949, on an especially stormy winter day. By contrast, the Second Knesset elections were held on an ordinary summer day in July 1951 and recorded just 75%, lower than any election held in the country until 2003.

The all-time low was recorded in the 2006 elections (the 17th Knesset), when only 63.5% of Israelis voted. That election was held on March 28, a spring day, but clouds and rain covered parts of the country. The media at the time rushed to blame the weather, but an in-depth review by the Israel Meteorological Service showed that rain has no real connection to voter participation; political and social factors drive it.

The paradox is simple: rain supposedly keeps people at home under the covers, while pleasant sunshine sends them to the beach, parks, and malls, supposed “enemies of the ballot box.” In practice, polling stations stay open for a full 15 hours, rain in Israel mostly falls in short bursts, and no outing lasts all day.

First Israeli election on schedule in three decades

Israel’s lawmakers actually considered the weather in advance. A 1959 amendment to Basic Law: The Knesset set the Hebrew month of Cheshvan as the fixed election date, and 2006 documents from the Knesset Constitution Committee explain that it is a comfortable month, falling right after the Tishrei holidays and before the peak of winter. The assumption was that mild weather would make it easy to get to the polls, and that early sunsets, especially in winter, like the switch that took effect this week, would send day-trippers from the beaches straight to the polling stations well before closing.

But political reality in Israel rarely goes by the book. Since 1988, every election has been moved up (though the November 2022 election was held in Cheshvan because the Knesset dissolved itself). If the election on Tuesday, October 27, goes ahead as planned, it will be the first time Israelis vote on the original date set by law in 38 years.

A statistical look at the 25 elections held since the state’s founding, along with this week’s election for the 26th Knesset, shows an almost even seasonal spread: seven in winter, seven in summer, six in spring, and six in fall. Most elections, 14 of them, were in fact held in the “hard” seasons (winter and summer), and 12 in the “comfortable” ones (fall and spring).

The bottom line: turnout shows no real difference between summer and winter, partly because the July–August elections took place long before Israelis began flying abroad en masse for vacation.

But what about the rest of the world?

How weather impacts elections worldwide

An American study of 14 presidential elections found that roughly 25 mm (about an inch) of rain lowered turnout by about one percentage point. In the Netherlands (13 elections between 1971 and 2010), researchers found a similar result: pleasant sunshine encourages people to go out and vote. In Sweden, by contrast, researchers found no significant effect of rain.

Rather than settling on a single country, researchers at the University of Copenhagen combined data from 34 studies worldwide, published in the journal Electoral Studies.

The conclusion: every centimeter of rain lowers turnout by about 0.95%, with young people and undecided voters six times more sensitive to the weather than others. Even so, applying this to Israel is hard; here, Election Day is a public holiday, unlike in many countries where people vote on a regular workday.

An International IDEA institute report this past April, together with King’s College and Griffith University, found that between 2006 and 2025 at least 94 elections and referendums in 52 countries were disrupted by natural disasters (in 26 of those cases the vote was postponed; in 2024 alone, 23 elections in 18 countries were disrupted).

But don’t worry, that study focuses on typhoons, hurricanes, massive wildfires, and devastating floods that paralyze infrastructure, events irrelevant to Israel’s climate.

A local autumn shower may mean grabbing an umbrella on the way to the polls, but Israeli history shows it won’t stop voters from having their say.