Gadi Eisenkot

US President Donald Trump said on 3 Nov 2026 that Washington will stop roughly $4 billion in annual aid to Israel once this year ends. He said he reached the arrangement months earlier with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that Netanyahu agreed to it. Trump said Israel no longer needs the funding and can still buy US weapons. A memorandum of understanding providing $3.8 billion a year in military aid does not expire until September 2028, and Trump gave no details on how the funding would be halted.

On 3 Nov, opposition party leaders met in Herzliya to plan how to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one week after the 28 Oct election. The opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot won 48 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while Netanyahu's camp secured 53, including 27 for Likud. Arab-majority parties won 19 seats, but their politicians did not join the talks. The leaders pledged to form a government quickly to avoid another election. The meeting lasted about an hour, according to Israeli media.

The 27 Oct election results will be certified and delivered to President Isaac Herzog on 4 Nov, confirming that Netanyahu's bloc secured 53 seats while the Change bloc won 48 and Arab parties captured a record 19 seats, leaving no side with the 61 seats needed to form a government. Voter turnout reached 77.7%, the highest since 1999. Herzog can assign a 28‑day coalition mandate, extendable by 14 days, and is expected to consult party leaders before deciding whom to task with building a coalition.