Electoral fraud suspicions may never yield evidence of wrongdoing, says election chief

Sohlberg: Electoral fraud claims might never yield evidence of wrongdoing

Central Elections Committee chairman Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg presents the official results of the 26th Knesset election to President Isaac Herzog at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, November 4, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

In an update on the investigation into possible foreign interference in the recent election, Central Elections Committee Chairman Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg says that information provided so far regarding the suspicions has not yet yielded evidence of wrongdoing, and that such evidence may not ever be found.

Writing to the members of the committee, Sohlberg also says that cooperation between the police, the Shin Bet and the Attorney General’s Office is “good,” and that after examining the issue he had not found that the Attorney General’s Office was blocking requests by the Shin Bet to conduct investigative actions.

“The investigation is still ongoing. Confidential information has been presented — material that has not yet ripened into actual evidence, and may never do so; time will tell,” writes Sohlberg to the Central Elections Committee members.

“I have found that the cooperation between the Shin Bet, the Israel Police and the Attorney General’s Office is good… [I] found no instances where the Attorney General’s Office refused investigative requests submitted by the Shin Bet,” he adds.

Shin Bet chief David Zini has previously complained that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has hampered the investigation, while Baharav-Miara for her part has accused Zini of seeking to question senior Arab politicians without presenting evidence to justify such a step.

Sohlberg also addresses leaks to the media of documents related to the investigation and says they are harming the investigation.

“My complaint is not about manners or etiquette, but rather about the repeated harm caused to the investigation —specifically to its security-related aspects — as a result of leaks. Such leaks are a malignant phenomenon,” says the judge.

Board of Peace says Israeli strike on Gaza hospital ‘underscores’ need for peace plan

Medical staff inspect damage to Nasser Hospital after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike overnight in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, November 12, 2026. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The Board of Peace says last night’s Israeli strike on a hospital in Gaza further highlights the need to advance its plan to rebuild the Strip.

“The tragic loss of life following an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis underscores precisely why President Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan must be implemented immediately without further delay,” the Board of Peace says in a statement.

“Otherwise, we will continue to see tragedies in which Hamas alleges deliberate Israeli attacks on hospitals, Israel maintains that Hamas exploits these facilities for terrorist operations, and innocent Gazans ultimately pay the price,” the statement says.

The IDF said it targeted senior Hamas commanders, but a prominent Gaza surgeon was also reportedly killed in the strike, and other civilians were wounded.

“The Board of Peace deplores the death of any civilians and strongly condemns Hamas’s continued exploitation of hospitals and other critical civilian infrastructure for military purposes,” says the statement from the Trump-led Board of Peace, which is tasked with overseeing the postwar management of Gaza.

“Both Israel and Hamas must immediately honor their commitments under the Comprehensive Peace Plan, including protecting civilians, maintaining the ceasefire, and advancing Gaza’s demilitarization,” the statement continues.

The 20-point plan has stalled amid Israel’s rejection of the board’s roadmap for Hamas to hand over its weapons, with Jerusalem arguing that the gradual framework is insufficient and slow-walking a series of humanitarian-related commitments that are expected to preempt Hamas’s weapons handover.

“The Board of Peace has established a strategic framework to ensure Gazans can live safely and access essential medical care in secure, demilitarized facilities. All parties must cede the necessary authority and operational space to the Board of Peace to implement this framework without further obstruction or delay,” the board’s statement adds.

Saudis pressing EU to label Houthis as a terrorist organization, say officials

Supporters of Yemen’s Houthi rebels shout slogans during a rally in support of the group, in Sanaa, Yemen, October 9, 2026. (AP/Osamah Abdulrahman)

Saudi Arabia is pressing the EU to designate Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement as a terrorist organization, but has yet to overcome European concerns that this could undermine a future peace process, according to six European officials.

The campaign reflects a broader effort by Riyadh to increase international pressure on the group, which has been carrying out near-daily attacks on the kingdom in recent weeks after the resumption of war that began more than a decade ago.

The Houthis are already subject to EU sanctions, including an arms embargo and asset freezes on 12 commanders. The EU has designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a key backer of the Houthis, as a terrorist organization.

But the bloc has so far stopped short of designating the Houthis themselves as terrorists, a step that has been taken by other Western countries including the United States, Australia and Canada.

Saudi Arabia has for more than a decade led a military coalition fighting against the group on behalf of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which the Houthis drove out of the capital Sanaa in 2014.

One dead, four wounded in shooting in downtown Washington DC

Local and federal law enforcement and emergency medical services respond to reports of an active shooting, November 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

One person was killed and four wounded in a shooting at and outside a fitness center in downtown Washington today, the interim police chief says.

Jeffery Carroll tells reporters that the suspect in the shooting had been found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound after barricading himself in his nearby apartment unit.

IDF says it demolished two illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank

Jewish settlers look at the remains of their homes following their demolition by Israeli forces at Kfar Tarfon, an unauthorized Israeli outpost near the Palestinian village of Atara, north of Ramallah in the West Bank, November 12, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The Israeli military says it successfully evacuated two illegal outposts in the West Bank over the past day, from which settlers carried out violent attacks on Palestinians.

Civil Administration soldiers and Border Police officers operated against outposts near the Palestinian villages of Atara and Wadi al-Rahim, which the army says were “the source of repeated violent and illegal activity.”

The military says the forces dismantled and seized illegal construction components, temporary structures, vehicles and tents.

During an operation earlier today against an outpost near the village of Atara, the army says, “Israeli rioters barricaded themselves inside structures, while others attempted to reach the area.”

The troops used riot dispersal means and “completed the enforcement activity.”

More than 200 illegal settlement outposts have been established in the West Bank during the four-year term of the outgoing government, many of which have reportedly been set up with the coordination of settlement municipal authorities, the IDF and other state agencies.

A small percentage of outposts are set up without such coordination, and it is these outposts that are often the target of enforcement by the Civil Administration, a quasi-military agency within the Defense Ministry controlled by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the architect of the government’s massive expansion of the settlement enterprise.

The military says that “the establishment of illegal outposts diverts the attention of security forces from their defensive and counterterrorism missions and undermines the security of the area.”

Netanyahu and Eisenkot said to begin security briefing

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has begun his security briefing with Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot, according to Hebrew media reports.

The Prime Minister’s Office does not immediately confirm the reports.

The meeting comes after Eisenkot publicly accused Netanyahu of refusing to grant him such a meeting, which is customary for the opposition leader.

Arkia’s controlling owners sign deal to sell airline to group of investors

An Arkia plane takes off at the Ben Gurion Airport, outside of Tel Aviv, August 14, 2025. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

The Nakash brothers, Arkia’s controlling owners, sign an agreement with a group of investors committing to inject “tens of millions of dollars” to take control of the debt-ridden Israeli airline.

Under the terms of the agreement, the acquiring investor group will hold a majority stake in privately held Arkia and become its controlling shareholder. The Nakash brothers will retain a minority stake.

The acquiring investor group includes businesswoman Einav Adiv-Berar and owner of medical centers, including TLV Medical Center; real estate entrepreneurs Kidan Dahari and Yaron Adiv; and Negev Group co-owner Yariv Lerner.

“We believe in Arkia and in the Israeli aviation sector,” the acquiring investor group says. “Our investment is intended to stabilize the company, strengthen its operations, and ensure its continued activity for the benefit of its employees, passengers, and the Israeli economy.”

The agreement comes after Arkia employees earlier today declared a labor dispute alleging that the airline’s controlling owners were advancing unilateral steps, including workforce reductions, ahead of a potential sale.

Netanyahu’s office denies ‘nonsense’ report of ‘shouting match’ with Trump over Iran

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and US President Donald Trump meet in the Oval Office on July 28, 2026. (GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office denies a report that he engaged in a heated “shouting match” with US President Donald Trump during a phone call over the weekend about whether to resume military strikes against Iran.

“Fake news, complete nonsense,” Netanyahu’s office tells Ynet after unnamed sources familiar with the conversation told the outlet that the call was particularly tense, with one describing it as a “shouting match from hell.”

A senior Israeli official confirms that the call took place but insists it was “very much not a difficult conversation,” according to the Ynet report.

The denial follows reports that Netanyahu has been pressing Trump repeatedly in recent days to launch a renewed military offensive against Iran, while the president wavers between reaching a diplomatic end to the conflict and pursuing escalation.

Trump said this week that renewed military action against Iran was not currently necessary, but today stated that the US does not “need a deal with Tehran.”

Unions declare labor dispute at Arkia Airlines in protest of owners’ actions

An Arkia flight at Ben Gurion Airport, February 25, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/FLASH90)

The Histadrut Labor Federation and the Transport Workers Union declare a labor dispute at Arkia Airlines, citing a series of unilateral moves being advanced by the Israeli carrier’s owners.

The workers allege that Arkia’s controlling owners are taking steps without dialogue or agreement with employee representatives to advance efficiency measures, workforce reductions, and other moves affecting job security, employment terms and their rights.

The Nakash brothers, Arkia’s controlling owners, have been seeking a buyer for their stake of more than 70%, as the ailing carrier has reportedly racked up steep losses over the past year.

“If the Nakash brothers are no longer interested in holding onto Arkia, it is time to complete the sale of the company and transfer it into the hands of owners who believe in its future,” says Nir Eisenberg, deputy chair of the Transport Workers Union. “It is unacceptable that the moves on behalf of the controlling shareholders leave hundreds of employees and their families in prolonged uncertainty.”

“The Histadrut will not allow Arkia’s workers to be turned into hostages of ownership struggles,” says Eisenberg.

Arkia says in response that its operations are continuing as usual.

“All flights are operating according to the scheduled timetable, and at this stage, there is no impact on the company’s operations or the service provided to passengers,” the airline says.