Israeli campaign turns bitter days before tight vote
SCMP · 2 SOURCESabout 4 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Days before Tuesday's Israeli election, campaigning has intensified into a bitter contest marked by poor-taste jibes, inflammatory attacks and increasingly personal lines of attack. Social media has become a major battleground, with AI-generated images and videos used to portray rivals as weak, untrustworthy or harmful to the country. Polls cited by both reports show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc level with that of his main centre-right challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, underscoring how closely fought the race has become.
Key Points
- Both reports say the campaign has turned personal, with some candidates' bereavement after the wars following Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack drawn into election messaging.
- Ahead of the Tuesday vote, polls show Netanyahu's bloc neck and neck with the bloc led by former military chief and centre-right rival Gadi Eisenkot.
- On Wednesday, Eisenkot posted a birthday video for Netanyahu's 77th featuring AI-generated figures, including a Hamas militant speaking from a tunnel.
- In that video, an AI version of Mojtaba Khamenei tells Netanyahu: “One more round without victory and I'll make you a bomb as a present.”
- Netanyahu has also used AI content against Eisenkot, including a July video that triggered outrage over claims a young man resembled Eisenkot's son killed in Gaza in 2023
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the episode is a reminder that AI tools are now shaping election messaging in major democracies, making it harder to separate satire, manipulation and factual campaigning. It also shows how a tightly contested race can push political actors toward more personal and emotionally charged tactics when every vote matters.