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What happened: Facebook reprimanded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and suspended part of his Facebook page for 24 hours after it said one of his posts violated its hate speech policy.

• The page, which is run by Netanyahu’s Likud party, automatically sent visitors a message which warned that any opposition coalition that included Arab politicians would be: “a secular left-wing weak government that relies on Arabs who want to destroy us all – women, children and men.”
• The page said that the message was sent not by Netanyahu but by a campaign volunteer. In an interview with Israel’s Kan radio, Netanyahu denied writing the post, saying it was an employee’s mistake.
• Haaretz reports that Facebook said it took action after deciding that the content violated its policy on hate speech. It said further violations would be met by additional appropriate action.

The context: Israeli is facing elections for the second time this year after Netanyahu failed to pull together a 61-seat majority government after April’s elections.

• Earlier this week, Netanyahu proposed a new law to allow party officials to bring cameras into polling stations in order to deal with Likud claims of widespread voter fraud in Arab communities. Despite allegations of more than 140 cases of voter fraud, the Central Elections Committee investigated 5 cases of fraud in polling stations, two of which were in Arab communities. The new law was rejected by the Knesset.
• The latest poll from Kan News shows Blue and White on 33 seats, Likud 31 seats, Joint List 11 seats, Yamina 9 seats, United Torah Judaism 8 seats, Shas 7 seats, Yisrael Beiteinu 7 seats, Labour-Gesher 5 seats, Democratic Union 5 seats, Jewish Power 4 seats. The right-wing bloc without Yisrael Beiteinu’s Avigdor Lieberman would receive 59 seats and the left-wing bloc, including the Joint List, 54 seats.
• The Maariv poll shows Likud on 33 seats, Blue and White 32 seats, with the right-wing bloc without Lieberman receiving 57 seats and the left-wing bloc, including the Joint List, receiving 54 seats. The Israel Hayom poll shows Likud on 33 seats, Blue and White 31 seats, with the right-wing bloc without Lieberman receiving 58 seats and the left-wing bloc, including the Joint List, on 53 seats.
• Netanyahu is still preferred as Prime Minister by 42 per cent in the latest poll, compared to 28 per cent who prefer Benny Gantz.

Looking ahead: According to the polls, neither Likud or Blue and White will be able to form a majority coalition without Lieberman, who insists on a secular nation-unity government. Blue and White have refused to join a Netanyahu-led government, but would be willing to enter a unity government were Likud to elect a new leader. This is why Netanyahu is making every effort to attract voters from small right wing parties to ensure the Likud becomes the largest party in the Knesset.