Unprecedented risks shadow Israel's October 27 elections

Yair Golan, leader of the Les Démocrates party, addresses residents and the media at the site where an Iranian ballistic missile struck, in Ramat Gan (Israel), on June 14, 2025. JONAS OPPERSKALSKI FOR LE MONDE T he episode reflected Israel's political climate just weeks before crucial parliamentary elections scheduled for October 27. On Wednesday, September 2, those close to Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party, publicly warned of a "new and considerable increase, both in number and severity, of death threats" against the main figure of the left, one of the pillars of the coalition opposed to Benjamin Netanyahu. These threats, which include open calls for murder, have surged in recent days after Sara Netanyahu, the prime minister's wife, accused Golan of having been warned in advance of the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack. This conspiracy theory is popular among parts of the radical right, which explains the security failure of October 7 by an alleged "betrayal" by the "deep state." Read more Subscribers only In Israel, religious divisions among Jews fuel tensions in election campaign The accusation against Golan has triggered strong condemnation. A reserve general, he is, beyond any doubt, among the heroes of October 7. As soon as the alarms sounded, he rushed to the Nova festival site, where Hamas massacred more than 350 people and took around 40 others hostage. As witnesses recounted at the time, the retired general saved lives at a moment when officials appeared completely overwhelmed. You have 76.07% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.