Pre-Election Tension in Israel: Reaction from the Opposition to Netanyahu's 'External Attack' Claim

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has fallen behind in opinion polls before the elections to be held in Israel on October 27, claimed that there were signs of preparations for an external attack on his country.

Netanyahu shared the statement he made at Tel Nof Air Base of the Israeli Air Force on his X account and made threats to his so-called enemies without naming names.

At a time when he was falling behind in public opinion polls, Netanyahu argued that there were preparations for an external attack on his country before the general elections planned to be held on October 27, and that there were signs in this direction.

Stating that more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip in recent weeks, Netanyahu stated that the attacks are not limited to Gaza only and said, "Of course, we also operate in Lebanon. You remember what we did to Ali et-Tahir Ridge."

Netanyahu argued that they achieved great gains from the attacks, but that they faced intense pressure.

Stating that the pressures on Israel are to "withdraw and give up the gains made", Netanyahu said: "I do not allow this to happen and I will not allow it." he claimed.

REACTION FROM ISRAELI OPPOSITION TO NETANYAHU

The Israeli opposition interpreted Netanyahu's "threat of attack" claim as a "political maneuver".

Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot responded to Netanyahu's statements in his post on his

Eisenkot, who is shown as the strongest candidate to replace Netanyahu as prime minister, said, "This step is essential to ensure that this is a truly concrete threat and not a political maneuver aimed at sabotaging the election process." he said.

Democratic Party Chairman Yair Golan, in his statement on X, emphasized that the public should not believe Netanyahu's words that he did not take these steps out of political concerns and said:

"If there are security threats, (Netanyahu) should explain them to the main opposition leader and be held accountable to the public. Netanyahu knows he will lose. He is afraid. He should not be allowed to use Israel's security to sabotage the elections."

On the other hand, Lapid, in his statement on

WORKING GROUP STEP TO OPEN NETANYAHU FROM THE OPPOSITION

Opposition parties in Israel announced that they have formed three working groups to combine their efforts in order to oust Benjamin Netanyahu and establish a "Zionist government" in the upcoming general elections on October 27.

In a joint statement made by Israeli opposition parties, it was stated that "they decided to form joint working groups to ensure that they win the elections, establish a Zionist government and work in the interests of the state."

Yair Lapid, Chairman of the There is a Future Party, who decided to enter the elections with the "Together" list with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, announced in his statement on September 26 that opposition leaders gathered at his home.

18 SEATS LEFT

According to the latest opinion polls published in Israel, the number of seats in the parliament of Netanyahu's party, Likud, has gradually decreased in the country where elections will be held on October 27.

According to the survey published by Maariv on September 25, Likud was predicted to gain 20 seats according to the results of the survey conducted on September 8 and 19 seats in the survey conducted on September 11, but remained at 18 seats in the last survey.

According to the survey in question, Netanyahu's bloc decreased to 49 seats in the parliament, while the opposition increased its number of seats to 55.