Final Tel Aviv rally for Eisenkot's Yashar frames election as Netanyahu choice

Tel Aviv rally sets out election choice

A final rally in Tel Aviv has become a focal point of Israel's election campaign, with tens of thousands of people gathering at Hostages Square before Tuesday's vote. Reporters on the ground estimated the crowd at perhaps 100,000. Families of victims of the October 7 attacks appeared alongside opponents of Benjamin Netanyahu. Speakers called for a state inquiry into the events of October 7, an issue Netanyahu has resisted.

The rally took place as polls suggest neither Netanyahu's coalition nor the opposition has an overall majority. The opposition has been leading, but the key question is whether it will work with Israeli Arab parties, which are expected to hold around 15 or 16 seats. Opposition parties have said they will not rely on Arab parties, though one Arab party leader said attitudes could become more pragmatic after the vote.

Sharon Lifshitz, whose parents were taken hostage on October 7, spoke at the rally. Her 84-year-old father died in captivity and her mother was released. She said the murder of 65 members of her community could have been averted and that Netanyahu was in charge. She called for a national inquiry and said she was certain he was responsible. She also said he caused the deaths of 46 hostages who died or were murdered in captivity. She described the October 7 attack, the war in Gaza and the conflict with Iran as three massive failures. She warned that Netanyahu was acting for his own political future and said a majority opposed him when Palestinian Israeli citizens were included. She said she hoped for a Palestinian state and a better way of living together, with regional agreements including Saudi Arabia and the Emirates.

The campaign has also been marked by the use of artificial intelligence. Netanyahu posted an AI-generated video showing him and Donald Trump laughing before images of bombs falling on Iran. Another post showed opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot holding a baby with the face of Mahmoud Abbas. Researchers at Israel's Open University analysed more than 50,000 social media posts by politicians and parties and found almost 15 per cent contained AI-generated material. Netanyahu's Likud party had the highest proportion, featuring in just under a third of its posts. A survey by the Israeli Internet Association found a quarter of Israelis are considering or intending to use AI to decide who to vote for.

At the final Yashar rally, the party presented itself as a straight or honest alternative to Netanyahu. Yashar is centre-right and supports a strong military approach to Israel's disputes with the Palestinians. Its leader, Gadi Eisenkot, is a former army chief of staff who lost his son and two nephews in the Gaza war. One of its candidates, Eliana Saks, lost her brother and mother in an Iranian missile attack last year. She said Netanyahu had been prime minister since she was six and she had not seen any good thing he did. She said Eisenkot was honest, decent and brave. She also said Yashar did not believe in a Palestinian state or a two-state solution.

Netanyahu said in an interview that the days of American military aid for Israel were numbered. He suggested Israel could count on US support while Trump was president but would probably be isolated afterwards. Sami Abu Shehadeh, a leader of the Joint List and a former Knesset member, said polls showed Netanyahu and Eisenkot each with 50-plus seats and neither able to form a government. He said the Arab parties were mathematically kingmakers but would never be accepted as such because of racism in Israeli society. He said the opposition hated Netanyahu for expensive cigars and champagne rather than for war crimes, and that it agreed with him on war crimes. He said the first goal of the election was to prevent Netanyahu and his group from returning. He said he was terrified of the result and warned that if Netanyahu lost, he might not accept it and there could be violence.