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Jerusalem, Israel
Joined December 2011
On Wednesday evening, Charedi Public chairman Moti Leitner announced at a press conference that his party would remain in the race despite mounting pressure to withdraw ahead of next week’s election. Shortly afterward, at a campaign event in Tel Aviv, he explained why he believed Charedi Public is needed. Read more: timesofisrael.com/charedi-pu…
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Maya Ben-Meir, an Israeli musician in New York who moved to the US 13 years ago, said that, in her social circles, “everyone’s talking about” going back to vote, with much of the discussion taking place in chat groups left over from the judicial overhaul. “We’re really good at organizing,” she said. @TimesofIsrael @luketress timesofisrael.com/israelis-f…
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The United States and Israel have drawn up plans for renewed military strikes on Iran following the American midterm elections on November 3, the New York Times reports. Citing US officials and others briefed on the matter, the report says the US and Israel have ramped up military drills ahead of what it describes as “a short but intensive operation,” including flyovers of Iran’s western neighbor Iraq to simulate strike maneuvers. Read more: timesofisrael.com/liveblog_e…
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The Times of Israel retweeted
Numerous social media profiles used as part of a "foreign influence campaign" were removed from the internet ahead of the election, the Shin Bet security agency says. The Shin Bet says it worked with the Cyber Department in the State Attorney's Office and the Central Elections Committee to identify the profiles. "As part of the joint effort to safeguard the integrity of the elections and thwart attempts at improper foreign influence, these accounts were removed from the internet," the security agency says.
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Prewar attempts to reform the judiciary led to an unprecedented Israeli-led protest movement in US, which pivoted to hostage advocacy after Oct. 7. Now it is pushing some 50,000 expats to fly in and vote. Read more: timesofisrael.com/israelis-f…
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Beyond the moral outrage and the implications for the rule of law, the wave of settler violence in the West Bank is bad for Israeli interests. It undermines Jerusalem’s diplomatic relations, image and legitimacy abroad — even among its best friends — precisely when its global standing is at a nadir. With a week to go before a closely fought election, it seems Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is treading lightly on the settler attacks in order to avoid alienating political allies whose support he will need after the ballots are counted. Read more: timesofisrael.com/settler-vi…
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Ruby Chen: “What Israel’s new government needs is strategic thinking. In January 2029, a new administration will enter the White House. What will Israel’s relationship with it be based on? Above all, Israel must once again become an issue that does not divide Republicans and Democrats.” Ruby Chen is the father of Itay Chen, an IDF tank soldier who fell on October 7 on the Gaza border. Itay was taken into Gaza and brought home to Israel after 760 days, the last fallen American to be returned from Gaza. Read the full post on The Blogs. *The posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties, and don't necessarily reflect the views of The Times of Israel. blogs.timesofisrael.com/what…
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The Israeli military began to vote in the national election on Wednesday, just under a week before the rest of the country, to enable troops stationed in remote locations and inside enemy territory to cast their ballots. Read more: timesofisrael.com/israeli-so…
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Israel frees congressional candidate Brad Lander, as official map shows activists didn’t enter forbidden West Bank area as authorities claimed timesofisrael.com/liveblog_e…
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The Times of Israel retweeted
IDF soldiers vote in Israel's national elections, from an army post in south Lebanon to a missile boat off the coast of Eilat.
The Israeli military has begun to vote in the national elections, less than a week before the rest of the country, to enable troops stationed in remote locations and inside enemy territory to cast their ballot. The IDF says it has deployed some 850 polling stations across the country and beyond Israel's borders. They will remain open through October 27, when the rest of the country votes. Around 3,000 soldiers, mainly young conscripts, are serving as polling station staff, according to the military. The personnel have been trained by the Central Elections Committee. Around 25% of the stations are fully mobile, to enable both conscripts and reservists stationed in hard-to-reach areas to vote, including at the IDF's 40 outposts in the Gaza Strip, numerous army positions in Lebanon, and nine outposts in Syria. The mobile polling stations will move between several units according to a predetermined schedule. Their staff will be accompanied by an armed officer responsible for security, and the ballot boxes will remain locked while in transit. "Our mission is to enable all IDF service members to exercise their democratic right to a secret ballot, including during operational activities and combat beyond the border," says Col. Vered Ben Yehuda, who is overseeing the military's elections process. "The IDF is the people's army that will do everything necessary to enable the elections to take place as scheduled," she adds. Soldiers may also vote at civilian polling stations on October 27. Double envelopes will be used to ensure that each soldier votes only once.
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The Times of Israel retweeted
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Iran has been trying to advance the development of nuclear weapons, while speaking at an IDF cadets graduation ceremony. "The Iranian regime still has not learned its lesson. Mojtaba Khamenei decided to follow in his father's footsteps. He has taken the safety off, and Iran is once again trying to develop its weapons of death," Netanyahu says at the officers' school in southern Israel, known as Bahad 1. "Therefore, there is only one way to remove this threat once and for all, to topple the regime in Iran, and that is my directive to the IDF, the Mossad and the security agencies," he says. Defense Minister Israel Katz, speaking at the same ceremony, warns Iran and its proxies against carrying out attacks during the elections next week. "In recent days, we have identified attempts by our enemies, foremost among them Iran and its proxies, to carry out terror attacks that would affect the results of the elections in Israel," he says. Katz says that "the Iranian regime is at its weakest point ever, and we identify that this weakness could lead it to take the most extreme measures, including against the State of Israel." "Our message to the Iranian regime is clear: We are identifying your attempts, we are prepared to thwart them, and we are ready to strike you with full force," he continues, adding that "If Iran attacks Israel, Iran will burn!" Meanwhile, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the defense of Israel must be a shared goal, amid ongoing efforts by the military to draft members of the ultra-Orthodox community who largely do not enlist. "The mission of defending the State of Israel is shared by all of us and is greater than any disagreement. The IDF is the people's army, and unity within it is essential to its strength," he tells the graduating officers.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu planned to carry out strikes against Iran earlier this month, but US President Donald Trump opposed reigniting the fighting before the US midterm elections, the Financial Times reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources. Read more: timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-…
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