Israeli Politicsupdated 1h ago3 min read
Netanyahu’s Campaign Repurposes Bots And AI Videos Ahead Of Israel’s Election
“This is Netanyahu’s election strategy in its most naked form: Fear.”
“Efforts to mobilise supporters, win voters and attack opponents are being played out online”
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Netanyahu’s campaign uses AI-generated videos and bots to mobilize supporters. Doctored AI videos depict rival Eisenkot to smear him and sway voters.
Election Goes Online
Israel’s general election is set for Tuesday, and Al Jazeera says polls show blocs linked to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition led by former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot are locked in a virtual tie while campaigns fight online with social media advertisements and doctored AI videos. Haaretz reported that dozens of online bots created to undermine the Iranian government were being repurposed to spread campaign propaganda supporting Netanyahu and his Likud party, and warn voters of the dangers posed by Eisenkot and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. DW says the elections scheduled for October 27, 2026 have turned into a testing ground for the impact of artificial intelligence on political life, with concerns about misinformation, divisions, and influence on voters’ choices.
DW describes a short video posted on Netanyahu’s X account showing Eisenkot running across a green meadow toward a young man wearing a shirt that reads “Israeli unity,” before Eisenkot passes him by and hugs Mansour Abbas. DW adds that the video views exceeded one million and drew widespread criticism, especially since Eisenkot’s son was killed during the 2023 war between Israel and Hamas.
Fear, Sanctions, and AI
Netanyahu posted an AI-generated image of a mushroom cloud rising over Tel Aviv after a nuclear explosion, and the Jerusalem Post says he warned that if Iran obtains a nuclear weapon, nothing else will matter. The Jerusalem Post reports that Netanyahu told Israelis to listen to US President Donald Trump and vote for Netanyahu to stop Iran, while it frames his campaign message as fear-mongering dressed up as national security. Haaretz says Netanyahu posted an AI-generated image Sunday showing a nuclear explosion in Tel Aviv alongside a warning of a "second Holocaust" and a message that Israelis concerned about their physical survival and that of their families should vote with "trembling hands."
The Jerusalem Post says Netanyahu released a video warning that Iran had resumed its nuclear program, wanted to destroy Israel, and that the country’s very survival was at stake in Tuesday’s election. The Jerusalem Post also reports that Netanyahu warned Israel could soon face unprecedented international banking sanctions and said he was already working on ways to circumvent them using blockchain technology and cryptocurrency.
Rules, Bots, and Oversight
The Central Elections Committee permitted a meeting between Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir despite the attorney general saying it should not be allowed so close to Tuesday’s national vote, according to The Times of Israel. Justice Noam Sohlberg allowed the meeting but ruled that the topic of the election process must not be broached, and the attorney general wrote that there was "no place whatsoever for involvement by the political leadership" in election management and integrity. DW says the Israeli Central Elections Committee issued a new rule in July requiring campaigns to mark AI-generated or AI-modified content, and it notes that Chairman Smotrich ordered the deletion of an untagged video deemed misleading.
DW reports that Scoper detected a network of suspicious accounts boosting Netanyahu’s presence on X, and it quotes Gil Feldman saying about 70% of accounts that repost the prime minister’s posts appear to operate from outside Israel. DW adds that an Internet Association of Israel survey found that about a quarter of Israelis said they might use AI tools or online services to help determine their electoral choices, while experts warn of exploiting technologies to disseminate content that influences those tools’ responses.