Updated

Israeli political parties entered the final week before the Knesset election with a wave of campaign maneuvers, endorsements and controversies. Benny Gantz withdrew from the race, with Shani Louk's father Nissim Louk also exiting to endorse Ofer Winter's People of Israel party; Yair Golan vowed to replace Netanyahu and work with the Arab Ra'am party; Naftali Bennett pledged to maintain the Yellow Line in Gaza and declare Qatar an enemy state; and Tzachi Hanegbi defected from Likud to back Avigdor Lieberman, calling the right 'messianic and racist.' A new Walla poll showed Benny Gantz's Eisenkot widening his lead over Netanyahu's Likud, though neither bloc reached a majority, while projections suggested a record number of women could enter the next Knesset. Netanyahu accused Iran of trying to interfere in the vote, while commentators debated whether Trump's endorsement of Netanyahu would sway Israeli voters or had instead handed critics ammunition by tying US action against Iran to the election. The IDF appealed against Netanyahu's expected speech at a cadets' graduation over electioneering concerns, Eretz Nehederet's final pre-election episode satirized the campaign, and Palestinians under Israeli rule were reported to be closely watching the Knesset vote.