Israeli press review: Netanyahu accused of pushing Iran escalation ahead of election

Netanyahu’s Iran order sparks pre‑election uproar Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and army chief Eyal Zamir clashed on Sunday over an instruction that Zamir feared could trigger a military confrontation with Iran just days before Israel’s legislative elections, Channel 12 News reported on Sunday. The report, which did not detail the instruction itself, said Zamir challenged Netanyahu’s order and demanded legal assurances before carrying out any military action. Sources familiar with the row told Channel 12 News that senior military officials feared “the political echelon is trying to exploit the Iranian issue for political momentum”, raising doubts about Netanyahu’s motives. Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz both denied the report, with Katz writing on X on Monday that Israel had no intention of attacking Iran before Tuesday’s election. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Channel 12 News added that the dispute unfolded amid reports that Netanyahu had spoken with US President Donald Trump about resuming the joint US‑Israeli campaign against Iran. Israeli opposition leaders reacted to the report by accusing Netanyahu of trying to manipulate the election. Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s main challenger, warned him on X on Sunday: “Don’t you dare put your political interests above the security of the state.” Eisenkot’s bloc partner, Avigdor Lieberman of the right‑wing Yisrael Beiteinu party, went further, calling the alleged move treason. "Netanyahu is plainly betraying the country when he wants to drag us into a war," Lieberman told Radio 103FM on Monday, adding that he would seek an investigation into the prime minister "on charges of treason". Women’s representation in parliament set to drop Only 31 women are expected to enter Israel’s Knesset in Tuesday’s elections - just over a quarter of the 120 seats - according to a report on Monday by the women’s magazine LaIsha. This figure is far below the record set after the March 2021 elections, when 45 women won seats. Israel’s 2026 election: Who are the main leaders and where do they stand on the key issues? Read More » It also marks a decline from the last Knesset, which already saw women’s representation fall to 35, the report noted. The estimate, based on recent polls, suggests that most of the 31 women elected will come from Zionist opposition parties. According to the report, 23 women from Eisenkot’s Yashar party, Naftali Bennett’s Together party, Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu and Yair Golan’s left‑wing The Democrats are expected to enter the next Knesset. By contrast, Netanyahu’s bloc - comprising his Likud party, the far‑right parties Otzma Yehudit, led by Itamar Ben Gvir, and Religious Zionism, led by Bezalel Smotrich, as well as the ultra‑Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) - is expected to send only six women. Shas and UTJ will send no women at all, as both parties permit only men to run. The report also said that the Palestinian‑led parties - the Islamist Ra’am and the left‑wing Joint List - are expected to send only two women to the Knesset. Israelis living abroad return to vote With elections approaching, around 90,000 Israelis living abroad are currently in the country, the economic daily Calcalist reported on Sunday. The report said estimates from an Israeli telecoms company, which tracks users’ activity, indicate that the number could rise to about 111,000 on election day. This would represent an increase of roughly 94,000 compared with typical periods, according to the report. The findings come amid a major wave of emigration, with around 270,000 Israelis leaving the country since 2023 - a trend disproportionately affecting highly educated citizens. Although the exact reason for the return of Israelis living abroad is unclear, the telecoms company believes the surge is linked to the elections. "People don’t just travel to Israel randomly in the middle of October," the company told Calcalist, adding that "these are clearly people travelling in order to vote". A similar estimate from Channel 13 News, based on Ben Gurion Airport data, found that comparable numbers of Israelis had arrived from abroad this month. The report noted that 90,000 votes could translate into roughly two Knesset seats, though Channel 13 News noted that the arrivals include children who are not eligible to vote.