As for Barkat’s claims that he only attacked Eisenkot and Gantz, well—he spent months building the case for a putsch. I doubt how many people on the left, at that point, were saying that Netanyahu was a coward and that Nasrallah could smell the weakness.

Once someone denies attacking Netanyahu and the archives show otherwise, that naturally indicates how much credibility should be given to his denials about the putsch as well.

The Jerusalem Faction, together with several rabbis and activists, proposed that the Ger Hasidic movement withdraw from United Torah Judaism and establish a party taking a hard line against military conscription.

From their perspective, the advantage is the potential addition of another Knesset seat from people who currently do not vote in elections.

Babchik met with them late Thursday night but rejected the proposal. Instead, he suggested that they support United Torah Judaism, since they are essentially aligned in their opposition to conscription.

Only over the weekend, the Haredi media reported that United Torah Judaism would run solely as a technical bloc, and that Gafni is expected to split from Agudat Yisrael immediately after the elections.

Participants in Thursday’s meeting at the home of Jerusalem Faction member Eliyahu Goldstoff included Babchik representing Ger; the son of Sephardi Rabbi Buaron; Rabbi Yitzhak Rabin, head of a rabbinical court in Bnei Brak and one of the senior rabbis of Tel Aviv’s Bukharian community; Yaakov Chaim Miller, a hard-line activist from the Lelov Hasidic movement; and additional activists.

As I understand it, Barkat’s office requested a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu in an effort to project an image of reconciliation.

The Prime Minister’s Office has yet to announce such a meeting.

Today in propaganda: Eisenkot in movie theater ads — “a super chill guy.”

“I met a young conscript during reserve duty who told me he could not see any future,” said Ori Oberman, a reservist and one of the authors of a new Taub Center study examining the expected impact of prolonged service on reservists and their families. “The young soldier knows that once he is discharged, he will be called up for reserve duty again and again. He cannot see his future.”

Also, is Likud headed for disaster? And, who really controls Israel?

All in today's edition of It's Noon in Israel.

https://open.substack.com/pub/amitsegal/p/its-noon-in-israel-the-price-of-showing?r=1gxt62&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Another day of Israeli strikes in Gaza; a terrorist was targeted in Khan Younis.

Al Jazeera: Jared Kushner will soon meet with Hamas leaders in Cairo, before meeting with Netanyahu.

Second targeted strike today in the Gaza Strip — a Hamas operative was struck in Nuseirat.

The target in Khan Younis — a company commander in Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The fields of Nahal Oz opposite the ruins of Shuja'iyya

The Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Justice Solberg, rejected the request to reconsider his decision prohibiting party representatives at polling stations from providing their parties with real-time information about the identities of voters.

However, he ruled that on Election Day, the Central Elections Committee will publish, at least four times during the day, voter turnout rates for every regular polling station across the country, without disclosing any information about the identities of those who voted.

Col. Hezi Nehama, one of the authors of the “Generals’ Plan” to defeat Hamas, joins Erdan

Like in Judea and Samaria: Israeli flags are flying along Lebanon’s coastal road, between Naqoura and Tyre.

The commander of the Israel Police’s Judea and Samaria District, in his first response to Defense Minister Katz’s announcement that civilian authorities in the West Bank will be transferred from the IDF to the police:

“The growth of the Israeli population in Area C and the farms that have developed outside the communities require adjustments and the delegation of the necessary powers to the police.

At the same time, the joint task force for addressing and preventing incidents of extremist violence in the West Bank, involving Central Command, the police, and the Shin Bet, should be institutionalized.

These are significant measures needed to thwart terrorism — and to free up the IDF to focus on its primary missions.”

The Likud's new campaign

For the record: the discussion did indeed take place.

Netanyahu did not deny any reports that he was afraid of Gotliv.

Barkat launched a campaign worth nearly one million shekels (in blatant violation of the primary election law; the details are on file in case “Defamation Lawsuit Fund 12” somehow gets activated).

Kan News poll: Eisenkot and Netanyahu tied, Bennett gains strength

Prime Minister and Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu:

Tomorrow, I will vote in the Likud primaries for a winning slate that will ensure that Eisenkot and Yair Golan do not form a narrow government with the Arab parties, as they have promised.

I trust you, Likud members, to choose your representatives wisely and according to your own judgment.

I am not intervening in the national slate—and I wish everyone the best of luck!