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TEL AVIV, Israel: As Israel prepares to hold national elections on Oct. 27 for the first time since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and the ensuing wars, Benjamin Netanyahu’s long political career and legacy are once again at the center of a vote some describe as the most fateful in the country’s history.

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Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Netanyahu, has overseen the country’s transformation into a free-market, high-tech economy and a regional military powerhouse.

Zvika Klein, editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, told Fox News Digital that people under 20 «don’t even know an Israel without him being prime minister,» aside from the brief period from 2021 to 2022 when a government led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid was in power for over a year. The two are running again on a joint slate in the upcoming elections.

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FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the plenum of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem, November 10, 2025. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo (Reuters/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo)

Gadi Taub, co-host of Tablet’s Israel Update podcast, said Israeli voters will have one central question in mind when they cast their ballots: who is best positioned to continue the work begun under Netanyahu, foremost prosecuting the wars that have, to a large extent, dismantled the Iranian-led Shiite axis surrounding Israel.

«The job is not finished. On the one hand, you have Netanyahu, who from the first moment, two days after Oct. 7, said that we are going to change the Middle East,» he said.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with IDF commanders in the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza to discuss Hamas activity. Nov, 19 2024. (Photo provided by TPS)

Eylon Levy, a former spokesman for the State of Israel, told Fox News Digital, the election represents, for many Israelis, a critical opportunity to change course following what he described as the country’s biggest disaster. Benjamin Netanyahu, who has cumulatively served some two decades in office, is fighting for both his political future and his legacy.

«He doesn’t want to go down in history books as the man on whose watch the Oct. 7 massacre happened; he wants to have a long political career ahead of him and take the really incredible military achievements of the last few years as a credit to his leadership,» he said.

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This is an election with a lot of anger about responsibility for the Oct. 7 massacre and about the social and economic cost of sustaining the war since,» Levy stated.

Few polls are projecting a majority for either the current government or the opposition bloc led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot. The most likely outcome of the upcoming elections, Levy said, would be some form of deadlock, in which case Netanyahu would continue serving as caretaker prime minister until a new government is sworn in. Israel held five elections between 2019 and 2022, amid prolonged political instability.

Unlike the United States, Israel operates under a parliamentary system, with voters casting ballots for parties to represent them in the Knesset. The legislature has 120 seats and uses a system of proportional representation, with each party receiving seats based on the percentage of the vote it garners. The electoral threshold for parties to enter the Knesset is around 3.25%.

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Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, pauses thoughtfully at the lectern while speaking during the launch of the party’s candidate list ahead of October’s general election on September 7, 2026 in Rosh HaAyin, Israel. Eisenkot, a retired chief of the Israel Defense Forces, has emerged as the foremost challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  (Erik Marmor/Getty Images)

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No party has ever won more than half of the vote. As a result, after each election, leaders of the larger parties seek to persuade smaller parties to join them in forming a governing coalition.

«If one can get 61 of the members of Knesset, basically half plus one, to support them as prime minister, then they become prime minister and their teammates from the other parties join as government ministers,» said Levy, who hosts Israeli Channel 16’s flagship international magazine program, «From Here to There» and its election podcast «EYLON:Israel Electioncast.»

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Opposition leader and former Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid gestures as he speaks on stage during the B’Yachad (Together) candidate list presentation on September 6, 2026 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett and opposition leader Yair Lapid announced on April 26, 2026, they will run on a joint list in this year’s elections, in a move aimed at unseating incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu.  (Erik Marmor/Getty Images)

Klein said this is the first time in several decades that an Israeli government has completed its full term.

«There is a group called ‘Rak Lo Bibi,’ translated as ‘anyone but Bibi,’ and that’s the opposition groups, which includes Eisenkot’s party Yashar, BeYachad, headed by Naftali Bennett [and] Yair Lapid, and Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu, all [of whom] have worked with Netanyahu in the past in different capacities,» Klein said.

The loose alliance also includes The Democrats, which Klein described as the most left-wing party in the so-called «change» alliance.

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A giant electoral poster for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party with the slogan «no surrender» is displayed on the facade of a building in Tel Aviv on September 29, 2026, during campaigns ahead of the October 2026 legislative elections.  (Jack Guez / AFP via Getty Images)

The conservative commentator Taub said, «When you look at the candidates on the left, one after the other, they wanted to stop the war very early already in Gaza. Gadi Eisenkot, the leading contender on the left, wanted to finish the war after the pager operation, where he said we should cut a deal with Hezbollah. Netanyahu kept saying total victory,» he added.

The vulnerability on the right, Taub said, is that victory has not been total.

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«We have an existential danger. That danger is Iran, with the support of Russia and China, rehabilitating its nuclear program, which we can’t let happen. It is not all up to us; there is the U.S. dealing directly with this, but this is going to be the decisive issue,» Taub concluded.

Fox News’ Sydney Finver contributed to this report.

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Amelie Botbol is a freelance field reporter based in Tel Aviv, Israel, who reports on Israel-related news.

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President Donald Trump last week touted a diesel agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, asserting that prices for the fuel would swiftly fall, but some Republicans have responded by rebuking the president’s move.

«I have just concluded a highly successful discussion with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, wherein it was agreed that Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace, another 500,000 Tons during the month of November, and 1,000,000 Tons immediately thereafter. Additionally, based on the condition of their Diesel Refineries, Russia will then deliver, within a short period of time, 3,000,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel,» Trump declared in an Oct. 9 Truth Social post.

«Between our TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz, and this great announcement on Russian Energy, Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST! Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority. This is a very big and important announcement. Additionally, it must be understood, that Iran will not have a Nuclear Weapon!» Trump declared.

The announcement sparked blowback from some Republicans, including outgoing Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who declared in a post on X that Trump’s «policies towards Russia and Ukraine are failures.»

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«Propping up Putin’s war economy is morally wrong as he uses that money to bomb cities,» Bacon asserted. «We need moral clarity not moral ambiguity.»

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., declared in a post on Saturday, «We will be introducing bipartisan legislation to block any and all purchases of Russian oil. It will be called the ‘Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act.’ It will be forced to the Floor via discharge and it will pass overwhelmingly.»

Bacon shared Fitzpatrick’s post and noted, «I’ve already agreed to be an original cosponsor. Congress must make a stand.»

A bipartisan group of senators — including Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Ron Wyden of Oregon, as well as GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Curtis of Utah — joined together in a statement pressing the administration to «reverse course.»

«Congress explicitly banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to prevent American dollars from financing Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine. Congress was clear: The U.S. should not import oil from Russia until it ends its aggression against Ukraine and ceases threats against our NATO Allies,» the statement declares.

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«President Trump’s decision to allow Russian diesel imports to the U.S. runs directly counter to that law. The Administration has also failed to consult with Congress or submit any explanation to justify its decision as required by statute. The United States should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians. The Administration must immediately reverse course,» the statement adds.

Tillis, an outgoing senator who is not seeking re-election, is the author of the recently released book, «How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents.» Shaheen is also not seeking another term.

Former U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette explained during a Monday appearance on Business that he does not expect the agreement to cause the price of diesel to decline significantly.

He said that he believes «it’s important for Americans to realize that … we may not be talking about brand new barrels to the marketplace. So if there’s an expectation that prices are gonna come down dramatically as a result of this agreement, I’m a bit skeptical of that.»

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Brouillette said that if the aim is to decrease «prices in the long term,» then it is «challenging to see how this is going to help. What we’re in essence doing is rearranging the barrels,» Brouillette explained, «we’re moving the barrels from one customer to another customer. We’re not producing new barrels of diesel, which is really what the market is expecting and wanting.»

Digital reached out to the White House on Monday.

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Un equipo arqueológico reveló la colección de madera neandertal más diversa de la prehistoria, hallada en el abrigo rocoso de Abric Romaní, en Capellades, Barcelona: lanzas de hasta 2,45 metros, una maza tallada de una sola pieza y bandejas de corteza que apuntan a una vida doméstica mucho más organizada de lo que se suponía.

El estudio, liderado por Palmira Saladié, investigadora del Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA) y la Universitat Rovira i Virgili, analizó 597 especímenes de madera recuperados en 16 niveles arqueológicos fechados entre aproximadamente 62.000 y 40.000 años atrás. De ese total, 13 piezas presentan evidencias claras de modificación intencional. Los resultados fueron publicados en la revista Science Advances.

Los moldes de carbonato de calcio conservaron formas imposibles de otro modo

Lo que hace singular a Abric Romaní en el panorama arqueológico mundial es su geología. El agua rica en carbonato de calcio que goteaba constantemente por el abrigo rocoso cubría los objetos abandonados por los neandertales antes de que se descompusieran, formando moldes minerales que reprodujeron sus contornos con una precisión inusual. En algunos casos, la resolución llega al nivel celular, lo que permitió confirmar que se trata de trazas de madera y no de otro material orgánico. Esta preservación contrasta con los yacimientos de Alemania, Italia y Grecia, donde la madera sobrevivió gracias al barro, y donde los hallazgos se limitaban mayormente a lanzas y palos cavadores.

El análisis mostró que el pino silvestre representó más del 90% del carbón identificado en los hogares, lo que lo convierte en el combustible predominante. Pero los neandertales también lo usaron para fabricar herramientas resistentes. Para los recipientes domésticos, en cambio, optaron por la corteza de enebro, más flexible y fibrosa: una elección que implica conocimiento específico de las propiedades de distintas especies vegetales.

Lanzas, una maza y una estructura de palos sobre el fuego

Entre los 13 objetos modificados identificados, dos lanzas procedentes del nivel R destacan por su estado de conservación. Una mide 2,45 metros y la otra preserva 1,99 metros en tres fragmentos; ambas presentan los ramales laterales eliminados y marcas de preparación deliberada. La segunda apareció asociada directamente a restos de ciervo, herramientas de piedra y estructuras de combustión, lo que el equipo interpreta como una instantánea congelada de una jornada de caza y procesamiento de carne.

El objeto que más interés generó entre los investigadores es una maza tallada de una sola pieza de madera, hallada en el nivel P. Tiene un mango de 16 centímetros y una cabeza asimétrica en forma de media luna con un extremo ensanchado y apuntado, cuya superficie muestra surcos de raspado paralelos y controlados. Saladié señaló que las hipótesis sobre su función van desde instrumento para rematar presas o herramienta tipo martillo hasta objeto con valor simbólico, posiblemente indicador de estatus dentro del grupo. “Son posibilidades, no usos que podamos demostrar”, aclaró la investigadora en declaraciones recogidas por IFLScience.

También se documentó un poste de 5,10 metros de largo, completamente despojado de ramas y trabajado, que habría servido como soporte principal de estructuras tipo trípode, así como paravientos para protegerse de las corrientes de aire. Sobre uno de los hogares, se identificó una estructura de palos cruzados que pudo funcionar como parrilla o plataforma elevada para ahumar y conservar carne.

Las bandejas de corteza y los espacios para dormir completan el cuadro doméstico

Cuatro piezas de corteza carbonizada y aplanada, ubicadas en torno a los hogares, habrían cumplido la función de bandejas o recipientes. Según Saladié, estos contenedores pudieron usarse para aislar alimentos del suelo, recolectar vegetales o miel e, incluso, para transportar bebés. El registro también incluye pequeñas herramientas como punzones de madera diseñados para perforar materiales blandos como cuero o pieles animales.

El conjunto apunta además a una organización deliberada del espacio habitado: había zonas reservadas exclusivamente para dormir, equipadas con pequeños hogares que funcionaban como braseros individuales para mantener el calor corporal durante la noche.

“Abric Romaní nos da razones para pensar que la tecnología de la madera era importante, diversa y flexible, adaptada a las necesidades que tenían… desde la caza hasta la preparación de alimentos”, sintetizó Saladié. “Esa versatilidad práctica y adaptabilidad son cualidades que podemos reconocer fácilmente en nosotros mismos.”

El estudio reconoce sus límites: los moldes de travertino complican la reconstrucción de las etapas de fabricación, y la evidencia vinculante entre herramientas de piedra específicas y trabajos de carpintería es parcial. Aun así, la secuencia de 20.000 años de ocupaciones documentadas en Capellades convierte a Abric Romaní en el registro continuo más largo de uso doméstico de madera por parte de neandertales conocido hasta la fecha.

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