AI Misinformation and Personal Attacks Mark Israeli Election Campaign
Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot lead a confrontational Israeli election campaign defined by AI-generated smear videos and targeted attacks on candidates' personal traumas.
Israeli election campaigns for the October 27, 2026, vote have devolved into a series of personal attacks and the widespread deployment of AI-generated misinformation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and center-right rival Gadi Eisenkot remain neck and neck in the polls as both candidates use synthetic media to disparage one another.
Eisenkot deployed AI videos suggesting Netanyahu protected Hamas, while Netanyahu used AI to portray Eisenkot rejecting a youth resembling his deceased son. The Likud party has further utilized AI and billboards to stoke public fear regarding potential political coalitions with Arab-Israeli parties.
Other candidates report coordinated smear campaigns that weaponize personal bereavement and trauma from the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. Laly Derai of the Amcha Israel party has faced vile abuse and targeted posters near her children's school buses, invoking her son's death in Gaza. Derai stated that she has received disgusting comments on social media and phone calls at all hours, but noted that the campaign has reinforced her decision to enter politics to end hate-filled rhetoric.
