Marc Zell - מארק צל

VP, Republicans Overseas & Chairman Republicans Overseas Israel. Father of 8, Grandfather of 24. International lawyer.
יושב ראש המפלגה הרפובליקנית בישראל

[Marc Zell - מארק צל @GOPIsrael]

But Netanyahu remains Prime Minister of the caretaker government for the foreseeable future until a governing coalition can be formed. New elections are likely.

[Gad Saad @GadSaad]

Oh look. Arab parties are represented fully in the Knesset. Just like Christians and Jews are represented in Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, and the rest of the Noble Muslim countries. Oh no, wait. Non-Muslims have largely disappeared across all of the 56 countries comprising the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

[Marc Zell - מארק צל @GOPIsrael]

ISRAEL ELECTION—TV RATINGS—CHANNEL 14 (ISRAEL’S ONLY CONSERVATIVE CHANNEL) WINS

Channel 14’s election-night broadcast, led by Maggie Tabibi, scored a historic victory over Channel 12’s broadcast.

According to the ratings data, the channel recorded 4.6% compared with only 3.6% on Keshet 12. The minute in which “Israel’s Exit Poll” was revealed jumped to 16.3%.
A genuine revolution in the map of Israeli media: Channel 14’s election-night broadcast, led by Maggie Tabibi, defeated Keshet 12’s night broadcast led by Yonit Levy. According to the Ratings Committee data for Wednesday, 28 October 2026, between 00:00 and 06:00 Channel 14 recorded an impressive figure of 4.6 rating points — compared with only 3.6 points on Channel 12. This constitutes a particularly significant victory during the dramatic hours in which the actual results were streaming in.

This achievement joins a series of exceptional figures recorded by “Israel’s Exit Poll” throughout election evening. In the minute the exit poll was revealed at 22:00, no fewer than 589,000 people watched Channel 14, giving the channel a record figure of 16.3% ratings. By comparison, in the 2022 elections the channel recorded only 6.6%.

The full exit-poll broadcast also drew a huge audience: 525,000 viewers chose to watch Channel 14’s exit poll and the analyses of the channel’s reporters and commentators. In the first hours after midnight, between 00:00 and 02:00, Channel 14 already overtook Keshet 12 with 7.5% versus 7.3% — and the lead was maintained throughout the night.

[Marc Zell - מארק צל @GOPIsrael]

ISRAEL ELECTION—BIBI WILL PROBABLY GET THE FIRST CHANCE TO FORM A COALITION AFTER NOVEMBER 4—BUT NEW ELECTIONS SEEM LIKELY

In the meantime until a coalition is former or new elections held, Netanyahu will remain Prime Minister. That’s good news.

[Marc Zell - מארק צל @GOPIsrael]

ISRAEL ELECTION— WHICH OF THE TV POLLS PROVED TO BE THE MOST ACCURATE

ANSWER: i24 News ( Direct Polling)

i24NEWS’s exit poll was the most accurate overall, based on the near-final count (≈97–99% of votes, with double envelopes largely processed).
Near-final results (as of late Oct 29, stable across major outlets)
• Netanyahu bloc: 53 seats
• Eisenkot / Change bloc: 48 seats
• Arab parties (Joint List + Ra’am): 19 seats
Key party totals (rounded): Likud 27, Yashar 21, B’Yachad 12, Joint List ≈11–12, Democrats 8, Ra’am ≈7–8, with the right-wing/religious parties (Otzma Yehudit, UTJ, Shas, Religious Zionism) filling out the rest. Official final results are due by November 4, but the seat totals have stabilized.

[Marc Zell - מארק צל @GOPIsrael]

ISRAEL ELECTION—ALL DOUBLE SEALED BALLOTS (Soldiers etc) have been counted:

Likud —27
United Torah Judaism —7
Ben Gvir — 7
Shas—6
Smotrich/Feiglin—6

Total Center Right— 53

Yashar/Eisenkot — 21
Bennett/Lapid— 12
Democrats—8
Lieberman—7

Total Center-Left/Change— 48

Arabs— 19
Joint List—11
Raam— 8

This is not the final allocation, but it’s almost complete.

[Marc Zell - מארק צל @GOPIsrael]

ISRAEL ELECTION—QATARI & TURKISH INTERFERENCE—MOSSAD

It appears that the Mossad is joining in the investigation of alleged foreign interference in the recent Israeli election in addition to the Shin Bet and Israeli Police.

[Marc Zell - מארק צל @GOPIsrael]

UKRAINE-RUSSIAN WAR—BLACK SEA—ISRAEL

[C14 News | EN @c14english]

🚨🇮🇱🇬🇷 BREAKING: A Greek container ship operated by Israeli shipping giant ZIM has sunk in the Black Sea after being struck by three drones.
Developing...

[Amit Segal @AmitSegal]

Yesterday, it looked as if 2026 would go down in Israeli electoral history as the year of unprecedented Arab turnout. After the latest news, it may end up remembered as the year of unprecedented malign foreign interference.

Qatari envelopes of cash raise huge questions, and more in today's edition of It's Noon in Israel.

https://t.co/o50k5LxRsG

[Marc Zell - מארק צל @GOPIsrael]

ISRAEL ELECTION CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAW—A PRIMER

Under Israeli law, foreign governments and foreign persons are broadly prohibited from funding Israeli election campaigns for the Knesset.

Core Rules (Political Parties (Financing) Law, 5733-1973 / חוק מימון מפלגות)

The main statute is the Political Parties (Financing) Law. Key provisions include:
• Parties, factions, and candidate lists may not receive contributions (directly or indirectly) from corporations or registered partnerships, whether Israeli or foreign.

• Contributions may come only from Israeli voters (as defined in the Knesset Elections Law—generally adult Israeli citizens/residents entitled to vote). Foreign individuals are therefore barred for general-election funding of parties and lists.

• There are strict caps on donations from Israeli households (recently around NIS 2,800 in an election year for parties already in the Knesset; higher for new parties).
Anonymous donations are also prohibited.

• In practice, nearly all campaign funding is public/state funding. Private donations form only a tiny fraction of total income (e.g., ~0.3% in the 2022 cycle per State Comptroller data).

These rules apply to direct campaign financing of parties and lists. Violations can lead to repayment requirements, sanctions by the State Comptroller, and related consequences.

GOTV, Third-Party Activity, and Related Rules

• “Bodies active in elections” (גוף פעיל בבחירות): Non-party entities that engage in certain election-related activities (such as building voter databases linked to voting intentions, transporting voters on election day, or direct appeals aimed at influencing votes) above specified thresholds must register with the State Comptroller and are subject to reporting and other rules under the Financing Law.

• Election bribery (שוחד בחירות): Offering money, gifts, or other benefits in exchange for voting (or voting for a particular list) is a criminal offense under election law. Cash distributed with ballot slips, or coupons for filling up gasoline or other benefits for example, would fall into this category.

• Funding funneled through NGOs, associations, or intermediaries that effectively supports a party/list’s campaign or constitutes inducements can still violate the Financing Law’s prohibitions on foreign or improper contributions, even if not paid directly to the party.

Foreign Governments Specifically

Foreign governments (or entities acting on their behalf) are covered by the ban on non-voter and corporate-style funding. Suspected channeling of foreign funds (e.g., from Qatar or Turkey) through intermediaries to boost turnout or influence voting in particular communities is precisely the type of activity currently under Shin Bet investigation following the October 2026 elections, after referral by Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg.

The increase in voter turnout in the Bedouin community in particular, and the Arab community in general, is unprecedented in the history of the state.

In the Negev Bedouin city of Rahat, for example, voter turnout rose to 80%.

Supreme Court Justice Solberg believes that reports suggesting this increase was achieved through foreign funding aimed at harming the state should be investigated.

[Marc Zell - מארק צל @GOPIsrael]

ISRAEL ELECTION—ELECTION FRAUD—LATEST

Avraham Glikman, Channel 13, Legal Affairs Correspondent: First publication:

The Solberg–Zini affair

Shin Bet sources: The information that has appeared thus far in the media appears to inflate the gravity of the affair. We do not understand why Zini, the Head of the Shin Bet, met urgently with Justice Solberg and why Solberg sent the letter he sent.

Behind the scenes of the Zini–Solberg affair: Several weeks ago, Shin Bet chief David Zini went to Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Solberg with general information regarding a suspicion of election bribery by Qatar. Solberg referred Zini to the Attorney General.

Zini updated the Attorney General and, according to Shin Bet sources, even provided her with a legal opinion on the matter. In addition, the Shin Bet told Justice Ministry officials that they are examining the issue.

According to Shin Bet sources, the information that appeared in the media is not proportional to the information they are familiar with and greatly inflates it (especially regarding the scale).
Yesterday, according to the sources, Zini met with Solberg (to the best of my understanding without updating the Attorney General), provided him with additional information, and then Solberg decided to send the letter.

One must ask: Why did Solberg send a letter at all, and why did Zini come to him yesterday for an urgent update if the matter was already being examined by the Shin Bet??

Me: What’s really going on here.

[Marc Zell - מארק צל @GOPIsrael]

ISRAEL ELECTION—QATARI INTERFERENCE

The Shin Bet (General Security Service) has just now confirmed that it is conducting an investigation into the alleged Qatari interference into the conduct of the recent election in the Arab sector.

[Marc Zell - מארק צל @GOPIsrael]

ISRAEL ELECTION—QATARI INTERFERENCE

“How did the money-transfer mechanism work? The suspicion under examination is the channeling of funds disguised as legitimate donations, originating from Qatar. A source familiar with the details of the investigation said: “‘If the suspicions prove correct, those involved will go to prison for a long time’ ” (Israel Hayom)

[Marc Zell - מארק צל @GOPIsrael]

ISRAEL ELECTION—QATARI INTERFERENCE—ISRAELI POLICE CHIEF

Police Commissioner: “The Israel Police has announced that it will safeguard the integrity of the elections at all costs, and so it will. Every complaint received and every suspicion of an offense related to the integrity of the elections will be examined and investigated thoroughly and without bias. We will not allow anyone to harm the integrity of the elections and the democratic process. For every suspicion of an offense, the police will act resolutely to uncover the truth and bring those involved to justice, without exception.”

[Marc Zell - מארק צל @GOPIsrael]

I think you’re being all too naive . Look what the Rabin government did on one year: the disastrous Oslo Agreements which even Rabin’s Knesset Faction leader, Eli Goldschmidt has repudiated and is now #29 on Bibi’s Likud List!

[Asher Fredman אשר פרדמן @fredman_a]

The more I think about it, the more it seems that the best move for Eisenkot politically is to join a unity government under Netanyahu.

If Eisenkot establishes a government that is dependent on Raam and the anti-Zionist Joint List, or if he forces another election, his political career will be over in a year or so.

Even if he manages to become PM for a year, Netanyahu will just wait for such a coalition to fall apart, and will work to make that happen as quickly as possible. A coalition that depends on Raam, JL, Liberman and Bennet will not last long and will not get much done. Once it falls, the Left will move on to the next “savior”, as it always does. Netanyahu can wait a year.

But if Eisenkot agrees to serve as Defense Minister under Netanyahu, he can condition joining the government on an ultra-Orthodox draft law with teeth, and some sort of official Commission of Inquiry (I actually think Netanyahu will agree if the appointment procedure is seen as unbiased). As Defense Minister, Eisenkot will likely have the opportunity to lead a campaign against Iran that will hopefully change the Middle East.

Then, in 2-3 years, Eisenkot can campaign for PM with a draft law, commission of inquiry , and Iran under his belt. At that point, Netanyahu may choose to retire (once Trump leaves office), leaving Eisenkot facing a less formidable Likud opponent.

Not sure if a unity government is in Netanyahu’s political interest, but it seems more and more like it is in Eisenkot’s interest.

[Israel Foreign Ministry @IsraelMFA]

Arab citizens of Israel voted 10 times in parliamentary elections since 2006.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority has denied Palestinians the right to vote for 20 years.

Yet there’s no outrage. No headlines. Just silence.

📸 Amir Levy / Stringer / GETTY

[Marc Zell - מארק צל @GOPIsrael]

🤔

[Amit Segal @AmitSegal]

A somewhat strange silence from the Change Bloc. Usually, when it comes to Qatari money, they’re a bit more vocal.

[Marc Zell - מארק צל @GOPIsrael]

ISRAEL ELECTIONS—QATARI ELECTION MEDDLING—PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Amit Segal correctly assesses the impact of the Qatari election interference on the election results: 👇

“The likelihood of the entire election being invalidated is extremely slim, given the time constraints.

“The same is, of course, true of holding a new vote. There are thousands of polling stations in Arab communities.

“In my opinion, this simply accelerates the possibility of either a unity government or new elections, and in either case, there would no longer be any need to invalidate part of the results.”