Tonight's briefing covers a turbulent day in Israeli politics, with Prime Minister Netanyahu's fiery Knesset remarks collapsing fledgling unity talks, fresh details emerging on a reportedly fraught call with President Trump over Iran, and a cross-border incident involving UNIFIL. We also round up developments in media, finance, and science.

Politics

On the first day of the newly sworn-in Knesset, Netanyahu delivered a bitter speech denouncing Arab parties as seeking to 'destroy the Jewish state' and insisting they must not be part of any future government. He accused 'leftist' opponents of preparing to hand the country's future to 'terror supporters and haters of Israel', while warning that Israel would soon face international pressure to accept a nuclear Iran and to retreat from security gains made in recent operations. The speech prompted Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar bloc to cancel planned unity coalition talks with Likud scheduled for the following day, accusing Netanyahu of prioritising his political survival over national unity. Likud called the cancellation 'strange', insisting the Prime Minister remains committed to pursuing unity and is willing to meet any faction genuinely interested in it, while standing by his refusal to cooperate with 'supporters of terror'. Separately, Eisenkot's bloc used its first day in parliament to submit a slate of bills, including a state inquiry into the events of October 7th, repeal of the judicial overhaul and the communications minister's media reforms, term limits for the premiership, alongside Democrat-sponsored legislation on civil marriage and public transport on Shabbat. In another development, police forwarded their findings to the Attorney General concluding that intelligence material reviewed does not support claims of election financing offences or security breaches tied to the recent dispute between the Shin Bet chief and the Attorney General over alleged foreign interference in elections, with a police source telling Ynet there was 'no drama' as had been suggested.

Security

Reports have surfaced of an unusually tense phone call between Netanyahu and President Trump over the weekend, described by sources close to the matter as a 'screaming match' over Iran policy. Netanyahu's office strongly denied the characterisation, calling it 'fake news' and 'complete nonsense'. In his Knesset address, Netanyahu reiterated that the only way to remove the Iranian nuclear threat is through regime change, cautioning against anticipated international pressure to accept a nuclear-armed Iran. Separately, UNIFIL confirmed that an Israeli civilian crossed the Blue Line into Lebanon, climbing over a gate and entering a UN position at Ras al-Naqoura, in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The individual was located by UN forces, returned to Israel, and handed over to police for investigation, while UNIFIL carries out its own inquiry into the incident.

International

Qatar's Prime Minister told G7 counterparts that Doha had secured a two-week window to help prevent a potential US strike on Iran, cautioning that significant gaps remain between Washington and Tehran on several unresolved issues. In the UK, Lady Victoria Starmer, wife of the former Prime Minister, shared her personal experience of visiting Auschwitz with south London students preparing for a Holocaust Educational Trust trip to the former death camp. Police Scotland are investigating an alleged antisemitic outburst in which a man reportedly praised Hitler following a Gaza documentary screening at a Glasgow cinema, drawing condemnation from Jewish community leaders. In Sheffield, a Green Party councillor, Mustafa Ahmed, faced criticism after sharing a social media post suggesting Muslims condemning 'the resistance' would 'bear the disgrace of allying with the Jews'; the party said he 'deeply regrets' the post. Meanwhile, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign announced plans to protest an upcoming Arab-Jewish coexistence concert featuring an Israeli Philharmonic ensemble in the UK, prompting a counter-demonstration from Stop The Hate UK.

Economy

The Bank of Israel has granted fintech giant Revolut approval to establish a new digital bank in the country, making it the third financial institution to receive such a licence since the end of 2019. The company says its goal is to inject genuine competition into Israel's heavily concentrated banking sector.

Technology

Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science, working with the University of Minnesota, have used DNA programming to bring synthetic matter to lifelike behaviour, a breakthrough they say could pave the way for targeted medical therapies and flexible soft robotics. Separately, at Cyber Week, Trellix's Chief Technology Officer warned that AI is accelerating cyberattacks beyond the capacity of traditional defences, forcing security teams to detect and respond to threats within as little as 15 minutes to avert catastrophic damage.

Other Developments

Veteran news anchor Ayala Hasson announced her resignation from Israel's public broadcaster, Kan, citing attempts to silence dissenting voices and a breach of journalistic independence after she was reportedly required to read out a dictated on-air apology amid a public dispute. She has not yet announced her next move. Separately, police and land enforcement authorities finally evacuated the 'Kingdom of Yisra-El', a self-declared breakaway compound set up illegally on agricultural land in Rosh Pina three years ago, following a long-delayed demolition order. Dozens of so-called 'subjects' had been living in buses inside a fenced compound equipped with solar panels, with authorities investigating the site as a suspected cult.

Sources: Ynet, Walla, www.israelhayom.co.il, Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post