Israel Election Day: Trump's Second Endorsement, a Huckabee Walk-Back, Arrests and a Knife Scare

Status: Reported; several claims disputed. Several items below rest on one side's account and are disputed or denied, as noted. Arrests are not convictions.

The U.S. angle

Trump's second endorsement. President Trump endorsed Netanyahu a second time and said the two must "finish the job" on Iran, the Times of Israel reported. Its report says this came after Netanyahu reportedly asked for another expression of support.

Huckabee walks back a post. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Huckabee walked back a post saying "Arabs vote the same as Israelis," according to an X trending summary.

Why it matters for Americans: a sitting U.S. president endorsing a candidate in an ally's election, and the U.S. ambassador commenting on its voters, puts American diplomacy directly into the result. Trump's call to "finish the job" on Iran also bears on whether U.S. forces and money are committed to more fighting. The briefing on Iran, Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon covers the cost.

Strike pressure before the vote

The New York Times and Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu pushed for Iran-linked strikes before the vote and that IDF chief Zamir pushed back, according to an X trending summary of the report. Netanyahu's office calls the report fake.

Incidents at the polls and on the trail

Knife scare at a Yair Golan event. At Golan's event in Tel Aviv's HaMesila Park, a man in his 20s was detained after a large knife fell from his clothes, according to Amit Segal. The two sides describe it differently: Golan's party called it a suspected attempted stabbing, while police say there was no stabbing attempt.

Vote-buying arrests tied to Ra'am. Three people were arrested in Segev Shalom and Ar'ara. Cash envelopes and Ra'am ballots were seized, according to an X trending summary. Ra'am denies involvement. The arrests are allegations, not convictions.

Netanyahu on the Arab parties. Netanyahu accused Arab parties of "trying to steal the election," according to a post by RealBRICSnews.

Bnei Brak riot. A riot broke out in Bnei Brak after the reported arrest of a draft evader, alongside a Haredi rally against army service, Kan News reported.

What we left out

Two items in our research came only from unconfirmed X summaries, and we have not included them until they are confirmed: a reported brawl at a polling station in Rahat, and a reported remark about Netanyahu attributed to Ronald Lauder.

For the vote count and the leaders' reactions, see the election results report.