With Eisenkot and PM neck and neck, how ugly will election campaign get? - opinion

As the 26th Knesset election campaign begins, Likud struggles to discredit popular candidate Gadi Eisenkot, resorting to cheap AI tricks. Eisenkot, perceived as modest and honest, leads in polls alongside his Yashar party. Likud's attacks include tagging him as a left-winger and an AI clip suggesting he prefers Arab coalition partners over Israeli unity. The article notes Netanyahu's own past negotiations with Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas, highlighting hypocrisy.

As the election campaign for the 26th Knesset gets underway, the race is shaping up to be complicated and potentially nasty. The two main contenders for prime minister are former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot of the Yashar party and incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud. Recent polls show Eisenkot favored as the more suitable candidate, with both parties predicted to receive 21-23 seats. Likud has responded by trying to besmirch Eisenkot, first attacking his English, then labeling him a left-winger, and most recently releasing an AI clip depicting him running into the arms of Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas instead of a young man representing Israeli unity. The article criticizes this as hypocritical given Netanyahu's own negotiations with Abbas in 2022. Eisenkot is described as modest, honest, and not impressed by billionaires—qualities that appeal to voters tired of Netanyahu's style. The piece also discusses internal Likud dynamics, including Netanyahu's dissatisfaction with his MKs and potential removal of primaries, contrasting this with the Democrats' impressive primaries. The writer hopes the campaign will stick to facts and avoid going 'down to the sewers with the help of AI.'