Politics · Other · 1 hr ago
Israeli election campaign turns personal as Netanyahu and Eisenkot face off
Israel’s election campaign has grown increasingly personal in the days before voters go to the polls.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc is neck and neck with rival Gadi Eisenkot’s in polls ahead of Tuesday’s vote.
Candidates and activists have used inflammatory attacks to portray opponents as weak or harmful to the country, while AI-generated images have spread across social media.
Eisenkot posted an AI-made video that included a Hamas member suggesting Netanyahu had protected the group, echoing allegations Netanyahu denies.
Netanyahu’s camp has also used AI material to raise fears about an opposition coalition involving Arab-Israeli parties, while an AI video about Eisenkot drew outrage over its apparent resemblance to his son, who was killed in Gaza.
Some candidates have faced attacks invoking bereavement after losing loved ones in the wars following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.
The vote will decide whether Netanyahu’s bloc or Eisenkot’s can gain the advantage in the close contest.
Israeli election campaigns have featured personal jibes and inflammatory attacks, including AI-generated content posted on social media.
Polls show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc neck and neck with the bloc of his main centre-right rival, Gadi Eisenkot.
Netanyahu’s camp has used AI-generated material to attack Eisenkot and warn about a possible opposition coalition that includes Arab-Israeli parties.
Eisenkot has also used AI-generated characters in a video aimed at Netanyahu, including depictions of a Hamas member and Iran’s supreme leader.
Some candidates who lost loved ones in the wars following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack have faced campaign attacks involving their bereavement.
- Who
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main centre-right rival, Gadi Eisenkot, are central figures in the campaign.
- What
- Candidates and activists have used personal attacks and AI-generated content to portray opponents as weak, untrustworthy or damaging to Israel.
- When
- Days ahead of the vote on October 27, 2026.
- Where
- Israel, including social media and billboards across the country.
- Why
- Campaigns are seeking to sway public opinion by playing on stereotypes and fears.
Netanyahu’s camp
Eisenkot’s camp
AI campaign content
Netanyahu’s camp
Netanyahu’s camp has used AI-generated clips and billboards to attack Eisenkot and warn about an opposition coalition involving Arab-Israeli parties.
Eisenkot’s camp
Eisenkot posted an AI-generated video wishing Netanyahu a happy birthday, featuring characters who criticize him.
Arab-Israeli parties in a coalition
Netanyahu’s camp
Netanyahu’s camp has used campaign material to stoke fears about an opposition coalition that includes Arab-Israeli parties.
Eisenkot’s camp
Thair Abu Ras said opponents were trying to portray an Arab party in a coalition as illegitimate and impose that view on Eisenkot’s coalition.
Hamas attacked Israel, after which wars followed in which some candidates lost loved ones.
Netanyahu posted an AI-generated video depicting Eisenkot rejecting a hug from a young man and embracing Mansour Abbas.
Eisenkot posted an AI-generated video wishing Netanyahu a happy 77th birthday.
Israelis were due to vote, with polls showing Netanyahu’s bloc neck and neck with Eisenkot’s.
- Vote date
- October 27, 2026
- Main candidates
- Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot
- Eisenkot’s rival
- Centre-right
- AI birthday video
- Posted by Eisenkot on October 21, 2026
- Likud billboard slogan
- The Right or Palestine
- Laly Derai’s party
- Amcha Israel
3 sources
What people are saying
It’s incitement, especially from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s camp
deep contempt for Netanyahu and his entourage
Posts on X
נתניהו, רק בריאות והצלחה באזרחות.