Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “fear-mongering” after the incumbent leader warned that the country’s enemies may attack before next month’s general election.
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enemies → accuse → election
Lapid, who heads the Yesh Atid party, dismissed the warning after meeting the prime minister on Tuesday.
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who → head → Tuesday
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politicians → show → election
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu posted an online video that showed him posing in front of a fighter jet at a military base and saying there were “indications that, ahead of the elections, our enemies will try to attack us”.
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enemies → post → us
He did not specify which enemy he had in mind.
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he → specify → mind
But in recent weeks, he has issued warnings to Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Palestinian Authority, promising retaliation in the event of an attack.
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he → issue → attack
Lapid requested an urgent security briefing after the warning, and in an online post afterwards, he said he was certain the election would take place on time and that “there is no reason to panic the public”.
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election → request → public
“The elections will take place on time, and no one has an excuse to disrupt them,” he said.
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he → take → them
He accused Netanyahu of using military bases as “props for election campaign videos” and of failing to heed warnings before the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, which set off Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
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which → accuse → Gaza
More than 76,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war.
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Palestinians → kill → war
“Netanyahu ignored every warning before October 7, and now, 28 days before the election, he’s suddenly busy fear-mongering,” Lapid said.
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Lapid → ignore → election
He added: “I of course will not violate the confidentiality of the security briefing but it must be said — security threats must be handled professionally and responsibly.”
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threats → add → briefing
The election, scheduled for October 7, is Israel’s first vote since the Hamas-led attacks, which plunged the Middle East into turmoil as Israel went to war in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
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Israel → schedule → Gaza
The election could determine whether Netanyahu remains in power after one of the most consequential periods in Israel’s history, or is defeated by centrist rivals promising to usher in a new era.
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Netanyahu → determine → era
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, was first elected prime minister in 1996.
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Netanyahu → serve → 1996
In recent weeks, he has had to deny media reports that his partners in the Middle East warned him of a potential Hamas attack, an allegation his political rivals have seized on.
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rivals → have → allegation
Polls show him in a close race to stay in power.
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Polls → show → power
According to a Reuters polling average, no candidate has a clear path to power.
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candidate → accord → power
The average shows Yashar, the party of Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief who has emerged as Netanyahu’s most formidable rival, leading the prime minister’s right-wing Likud party by 2 points.
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who → show → points
Based on the average, parties opposed to Netanyahu would hold 64 seats in the 120-member Knesset, 15 more than the parties that back him, but they may be unable to form a coalition.
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they → base → coalition
He, Eisenkot and other opposition leaders have agreed to coordinate to remove Netanyahu’s government.
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He → agree → government
Under the agreement announced last week, each leader pledged to work in their constituencies to increase turnout and attract support from various sectors of society to secure a majority and form a new government.
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leader → announce → government
The prime minister said in a separate post on Tuesday that he has held a security briefing with Lapid in which he raised alerts about possible attacks “on the various fronts ahead of the elections”.
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he → say → elections
He stressed that he holds regular briefings with the opposition leader.
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he → stress → leader
The Aporia
