Election analyst JAMES MARLOW who has been covering Israeli elections since the eighties will bring news briefs, reports, analysis and polls based on surveys conducted and commissioned for Israel’s news networks and newspapers each week for The Jewish Weekly. The general election will be held on Tuesday 9 April, 2019.

• Likud MK Yehuda Glick who voted against dissolving the Knesset in order to get his bill through to ban the advertising of smoking announced at the Knesset on 1 January 2019 that he is getting married, after his first wife died on 1 January 2018. He said “While others will be building support for their parties I will be building a new home.” He is still seeking a suitable slot at the Likud primaries on 5 February. Glick also managed to get his bill through just before the Knesset was dissolved so that any cigarette advertising whether at a venue, sports arena, publication or shop is now illegal in Israel.
• MK Rachel Azaria announced she is leaving the Kulanu party as she felt it was moving to the right without her. Fellow Kulanu MK Yoav Galant and Immigration Minister also announced he was leaving because the party was to the left of his own views and is seeking a position on the Likud list on 5 February.  
• Nissan Slomiansky takes over as chairman of Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home party) after Education Minister Naftali Bennett, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Shuli Moalem-Refaeli left to form a new party called Hayemin HeHadash meaning The New Right.
• Dov Henin of Hadash (Communist party which joined with the Arab parties known as Joint List to become the third largest faction in the Knesset) announced he will not stand for another term.  
• Meretz leader Tamar Zandberg has said the entire left should unite as one behind her faction. 
• After weeks of inter-fighting between Labor head Avi Gabby (who is not a Knesset member) and his appointed leader of the opposition MK Tzippi Livni, Gabbay announced to the press (without first telling her) he is splitting from Livni after blaming her for the slump in the Zionist Union party polls. 
• Prime Minister Netanyahu announced he would not resign if he is summoned for a hearing in the corruption and breach of trust cases against him.
• Former IDF Chief Moshe (Boogie) Ya’alon who left the Likud after being moved on from Defence Minister announced the name of his new party will be called Telem. The name was first used by Moshe Dayan when he broke away from Labor in 1981. 
• Jerusalem Post journalist Caroline Glick has joined the religious-secular New Right party headed by Naftali Bennett. Meretz reacted with venom saying “The woman who led unbridled incitement on social media joined those who work to undermine secularism (Bennett) and those who work to destroy the justice system (Shaked).”