Briefing, October 16, 2026
What changed in Israel's 2026 election that day, in a few sentences. Each sentence links the report it rests on.
Polls
A Maariv poll found that a majority of Israelis favor a unity government if the October 27 election ends without a clear winner, while 48 percent prefer Gadi Eisenkot as prime minister compared to 41 percent for Benjamin Netanyahu. Jerusalem Post
Parties and candidates
Opposition party leader Avigdor Liberman accused Eisenkot of secretly plotting a post-election coalition or rotation deal with Netanyahu. Jerusalem PostHaaretzTimes of Israel
Donald Trump declined to endorse Netanyahu in the election, stating that in politics he does not trust anybody. Jerusalem PostTimes of Israel
In Tel Aviv, right-wing activists disrupted a screening hosted by an Arab-Jewish party and attempted to access the Joint List election headquarters, according to Haaretz. Haaretz
Beyond the campaign
Eisenkot responded that the country is 11 days away from the election and urged leaders to keep a cool head and focus on the goal. Jerusalem Post
Itamar Ben-Gvir also accused Netanyahu of planning to oust him from the government to establish a unity administration with Eisenkot. Jerusalem Post
Likud announced that Netanyahu will sue former aide and Eisenkot ally Yoav Horowitz for half a million shekels over comments concerning adviser Yonatan Urich. Times of Israel
Meanwhile, former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar filed a lawsuit against Netanyahu, alleging the prime minister ignored or rejected security advice prior to the October 7 attacks. The ForwardJTA