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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday shared a post on X that warns voters that backing a leader who cannot finish the mission would expose their families to the danger of a “second Holocaust,” two days before Tuesday’s election.
The post, shared by Netanyahu, quotes statements by right-wing commentator Yuval Blumberg, who says “the State of Israel is in real and tangible existential danger” and that if the Iranians acquire nuclear weapons, “nothing will ever be the same again.” Blumberg adds that everything else is “so trivial compared to the existential threat of Iran and the Shiite axis.”
The post describes disputes over Qatar, Haredim, conscription and security alerts as “staged and fabricated storms” designed to divert attention from “completing the work in Iran,” calling them “one giant smokescreen.” It then asks: “If two atomic bombs fall in the center of the country, who will care about all these fake storms?”
The post says Israel has “another two years of Trump to finish the work in Iran,” and that “there’s no telling what will come after that—whether it’s Kamala Harris or some other mediocre figure.” It says “future generations will not forgive us if we miss the historic window of opportunity.”
Without naming anyone, the post says the mission “won’t happen with a prime minister who is held by the throat by the Muslim Brotherhood and terror enablers,” who “can’t pick up the phone and have a continuous, intimate conversation with Trump” or who “can’t withstand the pressure of a TV interview.”
It adds that “the hatred for Netanyahu, as all-consuming as it is for an entire camp, won’t help against the Iranian nuclear threat.”
The post carries an image of a mushroom cloud over a city skyline too.
Polls show most voters backing parties opposed to Netanyahu, Jewish or Arab, and suggest his Likud party may fail to win enough seats to form a majority government.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said in a post on X on Sunday night that Netanyahu “posted a video in which an atomic bomb lands on Tel Aviv” and, according to a media report, “wants to lead to escalation and confrontation with Iran just to delay the elections.” “The man has gone off the rails. We must send him home,” Lapid wrote.
Israeli media reported Sunday night that the rhetoric triggered an unprecedented clash between Netanyahu and Israeli military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. Zamir reportedly fears the political leadership is steering Israel toward a miscalculation with Iran that could bring immediate escalation.
Netanyahu’s main challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, told supporters at a Tel Aviv rally Sunday night that Israel faces a choice between international partnership and isolation. Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar party and previously served as military chief of staff, urged that the country’s future be free of incitement, hatred and foreign interests. He accused the prime minister of being ready to use tricks, lies and spin to win re-election.
Yashar candidate Lianne Pollak-David told ABC that the government refused responsibility for Oct. 7 and worked to block an investigation. She added that it also divided Israelis at home and isolated the country abroad, saying it should go home.
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Netanyahu said in a Friday interview that he asked officials to prepare contingency plans for possible economic and banking sanctions, including one involving cryptocurrencies. The Bank of Israel responded Saturday that cryptocurrencies cannot be used to bypass sanctions, according to the public broadcaster, and said the right course is to preserve ties with main trade partners.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the remarks “insane” and said security assistance would stop and severe economic sanctions would follow if Netanyahu’s government is re-elected. Yoav Horowitz, a former head of the prime minister’s office and a co-founder of the opposition Yashar party, said investors could begin pulling money out of Israel.
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