Join our Community
Support ToI and remove all ads
Learn more
×
Ben Sales

Ben Sales

Ben Sales is a news editor at The Times of Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to his supporters at Likud party headquarters in Jerusalem after the release of the first exit poll results in Israel’s election, October 28, 2026. (AP/Ohad Zwigenberg)
October 30, 2026, 3:07 pm
Netanyahu isn’t acting like he won the election. Here’s what that could mean
By claiming the election was ‘stolen,’ Netanyahu could be setting himself up for success in a repeat vote. But he might also recognize his days of majority government are ending
By Ben Sales
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the media as he stands next to his wife Sara after voting at a polling station in Jerusalem, October 27, 2026. (Jewel Samad/Pool Photo via AP)
October 28, 2026, 4:45 am
Israelis delivered an inconclusive election result. Cue the wishful thinking
A government can only form if the same politicians who have been in power for years decide to mend fences, break decades-long patterns and make sense of an incoherent Knesset
By Ben Sales
Israeli Prime Minister and Likud party chairman Benjamin Netanyahu visits the Hatikva Market in Tel Aviv as part of the Likud party’s election campaign ahead of Israel’s upcoming general elections, October 22, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
October 26, 2026, 4:04 pm
Security threats have marred Netanyahu’s term. They might also keep him in power
The PM has a well-worn playbook: brand his opponents as left-wing, then warn that Israel is in danger, and only he can keep it safe. They haven’t figured out how to respond
By Ben Sales
People walk past a Likud party campaign billboard featuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alongside opposition party leaders and bearing the Hebrew slogan “Right or Palestine,” ahead of Israel’s general election, in Bnei Brak, Israel, October 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
October 23, 2026, 3:13 pm
Israel is primed for unrest around election day. Is there a way out?
There’s already violence in the streets, candidates are receiving death threats and a specter of war looms over the country. And that’s before any ballots have been counted
By Ben Sales
Menachem Begin (left) and Gadi Eisenkot. (AP Photo, Amir Cohen/Reuters)
October 19, 2026, 2:48 pm
Will an anti-Mizrahi slur upend Israel’s election again? Don’t expect history to repeat itself
A pro-Netanyahu pundit called Gadi Eisenkot a ‘monkey,’ recalling when an entertainer derided ‘hooligans’ on the right and helped Menachem Begin in 1981. Nowadays, Israel’s politics are far more fragmented, and news moves faster
By Ben Sales
News editor Ben Sales appears on the Daily Briefing with host Jessica Steinberg (Flash 90)
October 18, 2026, 2:17 pm
Daily Briefing Oct. 18: With election days away, polls still can’t predict a winner
News editor Ben Sales discusses survey fervor before the October 27 ballot, and rising tensions between NYC Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Mayor Zohran Mamdani
By Jessica Steinberg and Ben Sales
Activists in Tel Aviv watch the exit polls on election night, on March 23, 2021. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
October 16, 2026, 12:00 pm
3 experts on how you’re reading election polls wrong — and why they can’t predict the result
With several parties at risk of falling short, small shifts make a huge difference. Plus, Israel’s electorate is difficult to survey and methodology is often opaque. But even so, analysts say, polls are still worthwhile
By Ben Sales
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch holding a press conference on the annual Israel parade, May 29, 2026. (Screenshot/X/NYPDNEWS)
October 13, 2026, 1:34 pm
Threats to NYPD’s pro-Israel commissioner are an inflection point for New York Jews
If Jessica Tisch bows to pressure and leaves her job, it would mark the exit of an official seen by pro-Israel Jews as their bulwark in City Hall and raise questions about Mamdani’s response to antisemitism
By Ben Sales
News editor Ben Sales appears on the Daily Briefing with host Jessica Steinberg on October 8, 2026 (Flash 90)
October 8, 2026, 2:20 pm
Daily Briefing Oct. 8: Shared grief, deep divisions – Israel marks October 7
News editor Ben Sales discusses the ceremonies held on the third anniversary of the Hamas attack, democratic expectations for election day, and candidates’ reactions to the flydubai attack
By Jessica Steinberg and Ben Sales
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, surrounded by supporters, during an election campaign tour in Ashdod, September 29, 2026. (Liron Moldovan/Flash90)
October 1, 2026, 12:50 pm
Will the flydubai attack save Netanyahu’s struggling campaign?
The PM, with his eye for optics, is leveraging the power of incumbency to link himself with the passengers’ heroism — and suggest that Israel is in too much danger to take a risk on someone new
By Ben Sales
A man walks past a television channel advertisement featuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and his main rival, opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot, ahead of Israel’s general election, in Ramat Gan, September 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
September 30, 2026, 5:03 am
‘It’s bad’: In a polarized Israel, the likeliest election result is more uncertainty
This may be Israel’s most consequential election ever. But neither side has a clear path to victory and they’re both plagued by infighting. On Oct. 27, don’t expect a reckoning
By Ben Sales
Yousef Jabareen submit the Joint List slate to the Central Elections Committee at the Knesset in Jerusalem, September 8, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
September 28, 2026, 6:00 am
The ban on Arab parties will likely be reversed. To its critics, that isn’t exactly a relief
Often, the most extreme measures — like banning Arab-led parties from the election — get tossed, but their impact can live on
By Ben Sales
September 22, 2026, 2:42 pm
Daily Briefing Sept. 22: Did muting Macklemore make his message louder?
News editor Ben Sales discusses backlash following the dismissal of rapper from Ed Sheeran’s tour and examines why economic platforms rarely win Israeli elections
By Gabriella Jacobs and Ben Sales
Macklemore performs at Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater during the South by Southwest Music Festival on March 17, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP)
September 17, 2026, 6:34 pm
The Macklemore battle presents a trap that pro-Israel activists have yet to escape
The cancellation of the pro-Palestinian rapper from Ed Sheeran’s tour is still playing out. But advocates for Israel are still struggling to figure out how to quash anti-Israel invective without drawing even more attention to their opponents
By Ben Sales
People shop at a supermarket in Jerusalem, a day before the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, September 10, 2026. (Rachel Alroey/Flash90)
September 15, 2026, 1:57 pm
Israelis are feeling economic anxiety. Why aren’t politicians talking about it?
Voters say they care about kitchen-table issues at a time of rising costs. But in the wake of Israel’s worst catastrophe, and amid political polarization, experts say the path to victory, as always, runs through matters of war and peace
By Ben Sales
Load More

Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community

Sign in or Register

Paying ToI Community members are invited to comment on articles
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Or Continue with
By joining you agree to the terms and conditions
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community
Sign in or Register
Only ToI Community members can comment below articles
Forgot your password? / Send me a login link
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.
Back to top
Never miss breaking news on Israel
Get notifications to stay updated
You're subscribed
image
Register for free
and continue reading
Registering allows you to manage your newsletters and alerts and helps us improve your experience. It takes just a few seconds.
Already registered? Enter your email to sign in.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Or Continue with
By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. Once registered, you’ll receive our Daily Edition email for free.
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Register
I forgot my password / Send me a sign in link
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.