According to reports from Israeli media, the misleading image was shared on the official social media accounts of the Likud party, depicting Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, the opposition leader, celebrating with Arab politicians.
Bennett’s party, ‘Bennett 2026’, announced in a statement that they have officially registered a complaint with the police accusing Likud of ‘distortion and image forgery’. They also plan to file another complaint with the Central Election Committee to prevent the spread of false information during the election campaign.The statement emphasized, ‘Israel is on the brink of a critical election campaign; therefore, red lines must be established now. Bennett’s party will stand firm against any attempts to disseminate false news that could poison the public atmosphere and deepen social divides.’
Bennett is considered the main rival to Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming Knesset elections this year. In 2021 and 2022, he briefly held the position of Prime Minister through a coalition of opposition parties, ending Netanyahu’s 12-year continuous rule.During the 2021 elections Bennett pledged never to join a coalition government with Lapid or the Ra’am party; however just weeks after the elections he reversed this stance and entered into an alliance with them. This diverse coalition marked the first time in decades that an Arab party participated directly in the Israeli government.
Nevertheless in the 2022 elections Likud under Netanyahu’s leadership regained power in a coalition of far-right and religious parties. Since then Netanyahu and his allies have intensified political attacks against Bennett accusing him of planning to re-alliance with Arab parties if he returns to power.
