Israel moves to extend state of emergency beyond Oct. 27 elections

The Israeli government is set to vote Thursday on extending the state of emergency on the home front until Nov. 3, past the Oct. 27 elections, citing “uncertainty over the situation,” particularly on the Iran and Lebanon fronts. The state of emergency was imposed when the Israeli-US war on Iran began Feb. 28. Tehran responded with attacks on Israel and US military facilities in Arab countries. Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that ministers will vote on extending the declaration of a “special state of emergency” beyond the Oct. 27 general elections. It added that a document submitted by the cabinet secretary cited “uncertainty over the situation, particularly regarding the fronts in Iran and Lebanon.” The document, according to the broadcaster, stated that “according to security officials’ assessments, there remains a high likelihood of an attack” against Israel. Since October 2023, Israel has been committing genocide in the Gaza Strip and carrying out attacks in the occupied West Bank. It has also waged two wars against Lebanon and Iran, in addition to launching airstrikes on Yemen and Qatar and conducting daily ground incursions into Syria. Since March 2, Israel has been waging an offensive against Lebanon, killing more than 4,300 people, wounding 12,400 and displacing more than 1 million, according to Lebanese authorities. KAN said a legal opinion attached to the document referred to security establishment assessments regarding the possibility of an attack on Israel. The opinion concluded that “the circumstances justify approving the proposal to extend the declaration of a special state of emergency on the home front until Nov. 3.” The broadcaster noted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned two weeks ago that Israel could face an attack in the coming weeks. The opposition says Netanyahu is engaging in election propaganda by repeatedly making claims about security threats ahead of the vote. Netanyahu has headed the government since December 2022, leading a coalition widely described as the most right-wing in Israel’s history. He also faces charges of corruption, bribery, and breach of trust in three cases. In addition to the domestic corruption trial, Netanyahu has been wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) since 2024 for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza, where more than 74,000 victims have been killed in the genocidal war since October 2023.