Israeli military officials suspect Netanyahu may escalate conflicts to delay elections

Senior Israeli military officials and opposition figures suspect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may seek to escalate conflicts in Gaza and with Turkey to delay the upcoming October parliamentary elections. While Netanyahu's Likud bloc struggles in opinion polls, military officers insist they will not be drawn into an unnecessary war. Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has denounced Netanyahu as an anarchist whose toxic campaigning puts rivals like Gadi Eisenkot in physical danger.

Netanyahu election delay tactics

• ▪U.S. diplomat Tom Barrack criticized Israel's airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northern Syria, hinting that the attack was carried out for political purposes.
• ▪Senior Israeli military officials suspect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may seek to escalate the conflict in the Gaza Strip to disrupt or delay the upcoming October parliamentary elections.
• ▪Israeli opposition figures Ehud Barak and Yair Golan accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately escalating tensions with Turkey for political considerations.
• ▪Israeli security officials warned that public statements by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz could further inflame tensions with Turkey.

Bennett denounces Netanyahu campaigning

• ▪Naftali Bennett accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being responsible for the biggest security failure in Israel's history by failing to prepare for Iran's uranium enrichment between 2018 and 2021.
• ▪Naftali Bennett denounced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an anarchist whose toxic campaigning could put political rival Gadi Eisenkot in physical danger ahead of the October 27 election.

Military resists political operations

• ▪Upper ranks of the Israeli army assessed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not want current conflicts to end and could seek renewed escalation in Gaza.
• ▪Senior Israeli military officers stated that the army does not intend to be drawn into a new and unnecessary conflict without a clear security necessity.

Netanyahu-Bennett 2021 transition

• ▪Naftali Bennett claimed that during their 2021 handover meeting, Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to use heavy artillery to mark Bennett as a traitor if he formed a government.
• ▪Naftali Bennett stated that during the 2021 transition, Benjamin Netanyahu refused to volunteer diplomatic and security information and requested state-funded vehicle and security benefits for his wife.

Opposition polling gains

• ▪Recent opinion polls show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing bloc falling short of the parliamentary majority needed to form a government.
• ▪Naftali Bennett's political alliance with Opposition Leader Yair Lapid has gradually lost ground in opinion polls, with Yashar party chief Gadi Eisenkot emerging as Netanyahu's main rival.

3 sources