News Digest — 11/6/26
President Herzog Announced That He Will Assign The Mandate To Form A Government Sunday Though Cautions Uncertainty About Building Coalition
President Isaac Herzog announced Thursday evening (5th), following the conclusion of consultations with the parties elected to the 26th Knesset that he intends to assign the mandate to form the next government on Sunday (8th).
Herzog said that although Gadi Eisenkot had secured a clear majority of recommendations, it remained uncertain whether he would be able to form a government because of the parties’ mutual refusals to cooperate. In a statement to the media, Herzog summarized the consultations, saying he had met with representatives of all the factions and held frank and sometimes difficult discussions with them.
“I asked difficult questions in an effort to encourage both the parties and the public to break free from rigid thinking and open their minds to other possibilities,” he said.
Herzog presented the breakdown of recommendations: “Representatives of factions comprising 67 Knesset members recommended Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot, while representatives of factions comprising 46 Knesset members recommended Prime Minister and Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu.”
However, the President emphasized that the number of recommendations was not the only consideration in his decision.
“The results of the consultations appear clear on the surface, but the authority granted to me by the law requires me to determine who has the ability to form a government. That remains far from clear, given the mutual refusals to cooperate between the blocs and even within the blocs themselves,” he said.
Herzog added that he would hold individual discussions with several party leaders in the coming days to explore the possibilities for forming a government.
I intend to assign the mandate to form a government this coming Sunday (8th). In these discussions, I intend to leave no stone unturned in an effort to encourage cooperation and the foundation of a stable and effective government for the people of Israel,” Herzog declared.
The Yashar party welcomed the outcome of the consultations, emphasizing that Eisenkot had received the highest number of recommendations for a candidate to form a government since 2015.
“The people’s decision and the clear parliamentary majority leave no room for doubt: Israeli citizens voted for change and expressed a complete lack of confidence in outgoing Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government,” the party said in a statement.
Yashar further argued that “Benjamin Netanyahu is a caretaker prime minister with a minority of just 46 seats. He has no mandate, no majority, and no confidence from the people.”
The party called on the President to assign Eisenkot the mandate as soon as possible, allowing him to establish a national emergency government to address Israel’s security challenges and the need for national recovery.
“All public leaders who care about Israel’s future must now rise to the occasion, set aside narrow political and personal considerations,” the party stated.
Yashar warned that missing the opportunity to form a government could lead to another election and impose a heavy cost on the country.
“This is a test of leadership,” the party concluded.
UNIFIL Confirms It will Start Leaving south Lebanon When Mandate Ends On Dec. 31
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) confirmed Thursday (5th) that it would start leaving the country at the end of the year, despite Beirut’s call for the UN to extend the force’s mandate.
Amid Israeli criticism of UNIFIL, the UN Security Council voted last year not to extend the South Lebanon peacekeeping force’s nearly 50-year-old mandate.
“Under Security Council Resolution 2790 (2025),UNIFIL’s mandate in Lebanon will end on 31 December 2026. The mission will then begin the process of its drawdown and withdrawal,” UNIFIL said Thursday (5th). Until the mandate ends, “peacekeepers from 45 countries will continue their daily operations as usual across Lebanon, including monitoring and reporting developments, liaising with the parties, supporting the Lebanese Army, and facilitating humanitarian missions,” UNIFIL said.
“The Security Council is considering options for the period after UNIFIL’s mandate ends, including future monitoring and reporting along the Blue Line,” UNIFIL said, adding that, “decisions on any future arrangements rest with the Security Council.”
Lebanese officials have warned that UNIFIL’s departure could leave a vacuum in the country’s south, where Israel maintains a self-declared “security zone” that runs around six miles inside southern Lebanon along the border. Beirut’s backers have scrambled to come up with an alternative to the peacekeeping force.
UNIFIL was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel’s 1978 invasion.
Following the month-long 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, UNIFIL’s mandate was expanded to ensure the Iran-backed terror group could not set up military infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
Israel has long accused UNIFIL of failing to fulfill its mission, pointing to Hezbollah’s extensive construction of border-area military infrastructure, which enabled the terrorist group to attack Israel on October 8, 2023, a day after the Hamas onslaught in southern Israel and sparked the Gaza war.
The border skirmishes sparked by Hezbollah’s attacks at the time ultimately led to an IDF invasion and massive strikes that decimated the terror group’s leadership.
Israel later withdrew from Lebanon, except for five strategic border posts, under a November 2024 US-brokered ceasefire deal that also required the Lebanese military to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
In early 2025, a new government took power in Lebanon that pledged to dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon, but Israel accused Beirut of failing to uphold its pledge.
Israel most recently invaded Lebanon in March, after Hezbollah renewed its rocket attacks on Israel in response to the war that the US and Israel launched on Iran on February 28.
Subsequent US-brokered talks between Israel and the Lebanese government have secured a framework that envisions Israeli troops gradually withdrawing as Lebanese authorities disarm Hezbollah and deploy across the country’s south. The arrangement has already been implemented in certain “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon, but progress has stalled in recent months.
Israel, Greece, Cyprus Reject Turkey-Libya Maritime Deal, Agree To Deepen Defense Ties
Senior Defense Officials From Israel, Greece and Cyprus met in Athens on Thursday (5th) and agreed to set up a joint working group for their defense industries, while declaring a recently ratified maritime agreement between Turkey and Libya legally void, the Israeli Defense Ministry said.
The trilateral meeting brought together the heads of defense policy from the three militaries, along with other senior officials, and focused on expanding military cooperation and on shared security challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean, according to a joint statement released by the ministry’s spokesperson.
The three countries called defense cooperation a central pillar of their partnership, building on the joint declaration adopted when their leaders met in Jerusalem on December 22, 2025. They also reiterated the leaders’ invitation for other like-minded countries to join the framework.
The talks covered regional security assessments, defense-industrial cooperation and innovation, maritime security, including the protection of sea lanes and critical infrastructure, and disaster preparedness and civil inspection.
The officials agreed to establish a trilateral defense-industrial working group to foster partnerships among their defense industries, explore joint development and production, and improve interoperability between their militaries, the statement said.
The three ministries said the maritime memorandum between Turkey and Libya, which Libya’s House of Representatives ratified on October 20, infringes on the sovereign rights of third countries, ignores international norms on maritime jurisdiction, and cannot have any legal effect on other states.
They also voiced opposition to unilateral claims, coercion, threats of force and destabilizing military buildups, saying no country in the region should serve as a platform for actions that threaten regional security. The three reaffirmed their support for Cyprus’ sovereignty and territorial integrity in line with UN Security Council resolutions, and stressed adherence to the law of the sea as reflected in customary international law.
The officials described energy cooperation as a pillar of regional stability and said they opposed attempts to obstruct it in violation of international law. They also stressed the importance of freedom of navigation and of protecting critical infrastructure and energy supply routes for Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
The sides pointed to shared threats including terrorism, the proliferation of advanced weapons and destabilizing activity by state and non-state actors across the region, and agreed to step up coordination against emerging threats.
The partnership, the statement said, is rooted in shared democratic values and complementary strategic interests and helps strengthen the links between Europe and the Middle East. The three ministries said cooperation, dialogue and respect for international law would allow the Eastern Mediterranean to become a region of “security, connectivity and sustainable prosperity.”
March Of The Living Brings Police Leaders To Berlin For Kristallnacht Commemoration
The International March of The Living convened senior law enforcement representatives from Germany, other European countries and the United States in Berlin on Thursday (5th) for a program marking the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht and reaffirming their responsibility to confront antisemitism and protect Jewish communities.
The gathering, titled “Not On Our Watch: Operationalizing Never Again,” took place at the New Synagogue-Centrum Judicium. Partners included the German Police Union, the European Federation of Police Unions and the Jewish Community of Berlin
Jochen Kopelke, federal chairman of the German Police Union and president of the European Federation of Police Unions, delivered the keynote address. In his prepared speech, he warned of rising homegrown antisemitism and called for greater political support and resources for police.
“Our country has incurred enormous guilt. It cannot absolve itself, now or ever,” Kopelke said, stressing Germany’s enduring responsibility to remember the Holocaust and prevent a recurrence of Nazi atrocities.
Holocaust survivor George Shefi, 94, traveled from Israel to address participants in the city he fled from as a child. Almost 7 during the pogroms, he stayed inside the Berlin home as the violence unfolded. When he emerged, he discovered that the synagogue housing his school had been burned to the ground, according to organizers.
After the November 1938 pogroms, his mother sent him alone to Britain on a Kindertransport. He never saw her again; she was murdered at Auschwitz.
Shefi later lived in the United States before settling in Israel.
“My message to everyone is clear : Learn from what happened and commit to ensure it never happens again. I’m deeply concerned about antisemitism in Germany and around the world,” Shefi said. “Sadly Jews around the world are still not safe – the same hatred for Jews persists,” he added.
Kopelke, in his address, said the Oct.7, 2023, terrorist attacks had intensified incitement and hatred against Jews and Israel, directly affecting German police work.
The gathering was part of the international education that brings senior police representatives to the March of the Living to study the Holocaust and their responsibility to protect Jewish communities at home.
Paul Goldenberg, chairman of the “Operationalizing Never Again–Not on Our Watch” initiative, said protecting Jewish life meant ensuring Jews could practice their faith openly and without fear.
“Jews, like everyone else, deserve to bring their children to synagogue without fear, to wear a Star of David openly, and to gather, pray, and live fully as Jews in the countries they call home,” he said in the organizers’ statement. “Democracy must be defended where people live, gather and pray.”
(jns.org)
Midterm Elections Normalize Anti-Zionism In U.S. Politics – Luke Tress
As Democrats won control of the Senate and the House of Representatives on Tuesday (3rd), incoming Rep. Darializa Avila Chevalier (D-NY) demanded “the Palestinian right of return” and led supporters in Spanish chants of “Babies not bombs,” while wearing a keffiyeh. The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) announcing its winners, repeatedly trumpeted its goal of a “Free Palestine,” Anti-Zionism.” Anti-Zionism isn’t going anywhere.
After President Trump said Tuesday (3rd) that the U.S. would soon end military aid to Israel, anti-Israel politicians did not stop to celebrate, but demanded an arms embargo. The goalposts had already moved downfield. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said, “We’re going to change the policy when we take back Congress. Zero aid to Israel and no more military sales.
There were no indications that these lawmakers were merely opposed to the Netanyahu government. The new crop of lawmakers are not just “critical of Israel” – anti-Israel activism is central to their politics.
Opposition to or ambivalence about Israel’s existence has become normalized. The DSA platform enshrines its commitment to the “right of return” and the Palestinian “right to resist.” Its call for a “Free Palestine” is not a demand for a two-state solution.
The moderates, led by House democratic leader Jeffries and Senate Democratic leader Schumer, will far outnumber the hard left. The Democrats’ comfortable majority in the House and Senate means that the moderate leaders have a cushion against dissenters, diluting their leverage. Until now, the DSA had only two members in Congress. Tuesday’s vote secured seats for at least five more. (Times of Israel)
