Israel politics · October 2026

Israel's Supreme Court heard appeals in October 2026 against the disqualification of Arab lawmakers and parties ahead of the 2026 election, with the court president recommending that an Arab party leader withdraw from the Knesset run. Arab parliamentarian Abu Shehadeh is to withdraw his election bid on the Supreme Court's recommendation. Separately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited four flydubai passengers to light an Independence Day torch, and Israel's president planned to present them with 'heroism' awards; Israel's ambassador to the UN described the events as a miracle against all odds. US President Donald Trump said he "can't imagine" that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignored warnings ahead of the October 7 Hamas attack and that he does not believe reports that Netanyahu received such warnings; Trump declined to endorse Netanyahu ahead of Israeli elections, while a poll showed Netanyahu's bloc leading as voters expressed concern about the election's outcome, and a US envoy to the UN said the US is having "tough conversations" with Israel. Netanyahu said it is too early to say whether Iran was behind the flydubai scare and that Israel will "get to the root" of the matter, and said Israel warned Britain of an Iranian attack on UK soil nearly a month ago; Egypt condemned Israeli settlers' storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and Saudi Arabia rejected an Israeli request to allow its planes to repatriate stranded flydubai passengers. A Democratic group offered a new framework for the US-Israel relationship as party rifts deepen, and Israel was accused of slowing German aid to Gaza. A debate over Israel at Munich's Oktoberfest led to a scuffle.