Netanyahu Posts A.I. Ad Targeting Eisenkot, Echoing Slain 25-Year-Old Son
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 21
Netanyahu Posts A.I. Ad Targeting Eisenkot, Echoing Slain 25-Year-Old Son
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 21
Summary
An A.I.-generated video posted by Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday showed rival Gadi Eisenkot bypassing “Israeli unity” to embrace Arab-Israeli lawmaker Mansour Abbas ahead of Israel’s election.
The ad sharpened Likud’s effort to portray Eisenkot as dependent on Arab party support, a message aimed at Jewish voters unsettled by security fears and hostility toward Arab political participation after the 2023 Hamas attack.
Its most contentious element was a young man resembling Eisenkot’s son Gal, 25, who was killed in a Gaza tunnel explosion in December 2023 while serving as a reservist.
That resemblance turned a familiar anti-Arab campaign line into a more personal attack on a bereaved rival whose poll standing has risen in recent weeks.