(September 27, 2026)
Yair Golan, chair of the left-wing Democrats party, said Sunday that an Arab party could be part of the next government, exposing a fault line among opposition leaders less than a day after they met to coordinate their campaigns and pledged not to attack one another ahead of the October 27 election.
“We believe that an Arab party can be part of the government. It is natural, right, appropriate and democratic,” Golan told the Kan public broadcaster.
They are eager to change the government
(October 2, 2026)
An AI-generated Likud campaign video, which Netanyahu himself has shared, shows Eisenkot running toward a young man wearing an “Israeli unity” shirt who resembles his son Gal, who was killed in the Gaza war. At the last moment, the young man turns away from Eisenkot to embrace Mansour Abbas, the leader of the United Arab List (Ra’am). Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana has similarly said that “Eisenkot has no coalition without Abbas.” Such messages target so-called soft-right voters who might otherwise drift toward Eisenkot.
The three parties last ran together in 2021, along with the Islamist Ra’am party headed by Mansour Abbas. But Ra’am decided to break off months before the election and run independently. Ra’am won four seats and joined the Naftali Bennett-Yair Lapid coalition.
“In the coming weeks,” Jabareen wrote in a post to X/Twitter on Wednesday evening, “we will work with all our strength to increase voter turnout among the entire public and ensure that the Netanyahu, Ben Gvir, Smotrich government does not return to power.” “This is not only our mission, but also the mission of everyone who seeks to change the difficult reality in which we live.” According to a Maariv poll published last Friday the Joint List would win eight seats.
(December 29, 2022)
Auch mit Deutschland soll es zumindest Gespräche gegeben haben, geht aus den Haaretz vorliegenden Dokumenten hervor. Neben den USA und Australien soll es zudem Kontakt mit Singapur gegeben haben, einem nicht-demokratischen Staat. Ob die Länder tatsächlich Produkte von Toka einsetzen, ist nicht bekannt.
Der Markt für vernetzte Geräte wie Videokameras, Kühlschränke und Autos wächst seit Jahren kontinuierlich an.
(December 27, 2022)
Haaretz continued:
Twenty years on, this is no longer the stuff of movies: Toka‘s tech allows clients to do just that and more—not just diverting a live feed but also altering old feeds and erasing any evidence of a covert op.
Technical documents reviewed by an ethical hacker prove that Toka‘s tech can alter both live and recorded video feeds—all without leaving any forensics or telltale signs of a hack (in contrast to NSO‘s Pegasus spyware, or Intellexa‘s Predator, which leave a digital fingerprint on targeted devices).
Smotrich’s comments drew immediate condemnation from the opposition, with Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas asserting that “human life holds no value in his eyes”. MK Ayman Odeh, the chairman of Hadash-Ta’al parliamentary faction, also slammed Smotrich, declaring on X that “what the racists and Kahanists say is not important, what matters is what we will do.” “And we, the Arab citizens, together with the democratic Jews, will do everything, simply everything, to prevent Smotrich-Netanyahu-Ben Gvir from continuing to another term,” Odeh wrote.
(May 5, 2026)
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sparked an uproar on Tuesday when he asserted that former prime minister Naftali Bennett’s decision to include the Islamist Ra’am party in his 2021-2022 government was far worse than the governmental failures tied to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught — the worst attack on civilians in Israeli history, which saw some 1,200 people murdered and 251 taken hostage, and which led to a multi-front war in which some 900 others have been killed.
Smotrich’s comments drew immediate condemnation from the opposition, with Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas asserting that “human life holds no value in [his] eyes” and Bennett accusing the finance minister, as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of “trying with all their might to make people forget the atrocities that occurred on their watch.”
(April 26, 2026)
Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid served as prime ministers in a rotation agreement as part of a coalition government they formed in 2021, ending 12 years of Netanyahu’s rule. Now they plan to merge their parties into single faction headed by Bennett, calling it a partnership between the center and the right.
Bennett said if elected, the new government on its first day would establish a state commission of inquiry into the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel that started the war, an issue that has dogged Netanyahu.
There have been calls in Israel for a public inquiry into the failures around the Oct. 7 attack, the deadliest on Israel in its history.
Israel asked Qatar to increase the amount of funds it gave to Hamas around a month before the October 7 attacks, Yedioth Ahronoth reported early on Friday.
Until now, it had been reported, including in a New York Times investigation published in December 2023, that Israel asked Doha to continue transferring funds to Hamas. It now emerges that Israel went further and actively sought to increase those transfers in response to Hamas threats of escalation in Gaza.
(…)
At this point, it is important to explain the circular arrangement. Beginning in late 2021, in an effort to prevent direct cash transfers to Hamas, Israel, Qatar and Sinwar agreed that Qatar would purchase fuel in Egypt and transfer it as a donation to Hamas authorities. Hamas then sold the fuel to gas stations in Gaza. The sums appeared modest, between $3 million and $10 million, but Hamas profited far more.
(December 27, 2022)
The company, whose activities are overseen by the Israeli Defense Ministry, “was set up in 2018 and has offices in Tel Aviv and Washington,” Haaretz reported. “It works solely with state clients in government, intelligence bodies, and law enforcement agencies, almost exclusively—but not just—in the West. According to the internal documents, as of 2021, the company had contracts with Israel valued at $6 million, and had also planned an ‘expansion of existing deployment’ in Israel.”
Toka can tap into web-connected cameras found virtually everywhere—intersections, parking lots, malls, hotels, airports, and even homes. Haaretz compared the firm’s “cyberoffense” capabilities to the 2001 heist movie Ocean’s Eleven.
(December 29, 2022)
Frightening new technology in the hands of government intelligence agencies has the ability to commandeer any smart camera and even “alter feeds” to manipulate both its audio and visuals — including past recordings, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
(…)
Specifically, it can “transform untapped [Internet of things] sensors into intelligence sources” in the interest of “intelligence and operational needs,” according to 2021 internal company documents Haaretz obtained.
(…)
The Toka rep added that its only clients are “the US and its closest allies … Toka does not sell to private clients or individuals.”
(November 22, 2025)
The protest was organized for the second straight week by the October Council, which is made up of families who lost loved ones in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack and are demanding a state probe.
In attendance was former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who is considered the most credible challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Also at the protest were Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, and MKs Benny Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot and Yair Golan, all of whom lead centrist or left-wing parties opposed to Netanyahu.
„In secret, through lies, through a scheme – the closest advisors to the Prime Minister worked for the engine of Hamas. It‘s madness,“ Bennett, who registered a new political party last week, wrote.
„There are three things you need to understand and remember when talking about the Qatar affair, no matter how many spins they try to feed you,“ he added.
(December 27, 2022)
Haaretz continued:
Twenty years on, this is no longer the stuff of movies: Toka‘s tech allows clients to do just that and more—not just diverting a live feed but also altering old feeds and erasing any evidence of a covert op.
Technical documents reviewed by an ethical hacker prove that Toka‘s tech can alter both live and recorded video feeds—all without leaving any forensics or telltale signs of a hack (in contrast to NSO‘s Pegasus spyware, or Intellexa‘s Predator, which leave a digital fingerprint on targeted devices).
(December 27, 2022)
Co-founded by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) cyber chief Yaron Rosen, Toka “sells technologies that allow clients to locate security cameras or even webcams within a given perimeter, hack into them, watch their live feed, and even alter it — and past recordings,” Haaretz reported, citing internal documents it obtained and reviewed with a technical expert.
The company, whose activities are overseen by the Israeli Defense Ministry, “was set up in 2018 and has offices in Tel Aviv and Washington,” Haaretz reported.
(December 23, 2022)
According to a company pitch deck obtained by Haaretz, Toka offers what it terms “previously out-of-reach capabilities” that “transform untapped IoT sensors into intelligence sources,” and can be used “for intelligence and operational needs.” (IoT stands for Internet of Things and refers here to web-connected cameras and even car media systems.)
(July 15, 2022)
Riyadh is believed to have a covert relationship with Israel but has yet to officially disclose those diplomatic ties. In 2020, then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly flew to Saudi Arabia for a covert meeting with the kingdom’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – a claim that was denied by Riyadh’s top diplomat.
The day after the Channel 13 poll appeared, Netanyahu formally revoked his catastrophic dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
A mere 25 percent of those polled said they wanted the current government to continue leading the country. Thirty-three percent said they support a unity government instead, and another 33 percent prefer another round of elections. Among Likud voters, just 43 percent want the government‘s term to continue, 35 percent prefer a unity government and 10 percent want a return to the polls.
(…)
As such, we call on your administration to promptly:
– Ensure U.S. taxpayer funds do not support projects in illegal settlements;
– Determine whether U.S.-origin defense articles have been used in violation of existing U.S. laws, including for a purpose not authorized by Section 4 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. § 2754) or to commit or support gross violations of human rights
by the Israeli government in violation of Section 502B(a)(2) of the Foreign Assistance Act (22 U.S.C. § 2304(a)(2)) and the U.S. „Leahy Laws,“ Section 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act (22 U.S.C. § 2378d and 10 U.S.C. § 362).
Furthermore, we call on your administration to ensure that all future foreign assistance to Israel, including weapons and equipment, is not used in support of gross violations of human rights, including by strengthening end-use monitoring and financial tracking. We ask that you respond with a detailed plan as to how the administration plans to achieve that goal.
The progressive lawmakers are further urging the Biden administration to ensure U.S. taxpayer funds are not supporting Israeli settlements projects, and to determine whether U.S. military aid is in violation of the Arms Export Control Act or the so-called “Leahy Laws.”
The Arms Export and Controls Act stipulates that U.S. weapons are sold only for legitimate self-defense, while the Leahy Law prohibits U.S. funding from being used to equip or train foreign military forces suspected of human rights abuses or war crimes.
(Sept. 13, 2016)
The package represents a major commitment to Israel’s security in the waning months of Mr. Obama’s presidency after years of fractious relations with Mr. Netanyahu over issues like the Iran nuclear agreement. Mr. Netanyahu agreed to several concessions to cement the deal rather than gamble on winning better terms from the next president.
The package will provide an average of $3.8 billion a year over the next decade to Israel, …
(03-11-2022)
The package included the Israel Relations Normalization Act, which seeks to support and expand the Abraham Accords – a series of peace agreements Israel signed with the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain and Sudan.
Additionally, the package includes $50 million in funding for the Middle East Peace Partnership Act, which promotes Israel-Palestinian dialogue programs and investment in Palestinian business development.
(today)
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the opening of the 2023 session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, in New York today:
It is my privilege to join this meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. I congratulate the Chair, Ambassador Cheikh Niang, and other members of the Bureau on your election. And I commend all of you for your tireless commitment.
We meet as the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is at its most combustible in years. Just this morning, we had more deeply concerning news. An operation by Israeli security forces and ensuing clash in Nablus left 10 Palestinians dead and over 80 injured.