From the Liveblog of
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Opposition leaders slam report of Netanyahu clashing with Zamir as ‘treason’ and ‘off the rails’
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Responding to a report on Channel 12 that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clashed with IDF Chief Eyal Zamir, who resisted an order from the prime minister in the lead-up to Tuesday’s election to carry out military action related to Iran, opposition politicians castigate the premier and say he presents a security threat to the country.
Opposition frontrunner Gadi Eisenkot posts on X, “Netanyahu, I’m watching you,” and adds that the premier “refuses to understand that Israel’s security isn’t a piece in a political game, that the lives of Israel’s citizens and IDF soldiers aren’t worthless, and the State of Israel is not his private property.”
Eisenkot voices support for Zamir and says he will not let “the IDF be turned into a tool in Netanyahu’s campaign of survival.”
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, the number-two in the opposition B’Yachad party, writes that Netanyahu “wants to bring about an escalation and conflict with Iran just to postpone the election. The man has gone off the rails. We must send him home.”
Yair Golan, chair of the left-wing Democrats party and a former deputy IDF chief, also voices support for Zamir and adds, “We must not allow any military step that lacks a clear security rationale, strategic goal and responsible plan of action.”
He adds, “When the citizens of Israel go out to vote next Tuesday, they must remember: Netanyahu presents a security threat to Israel. He will not hesitate to sacrifice our children’s lives for his survival on the eve of the election — that’s what the IDF is trying to block.”
Avigdor Liberman, chair of the hawkish Yisrael Beytenu party, writes, “I have no doubt that Bibi is trying to forcefully drag Israel into military action in order to prevent the election. This behavior is tantamount to treason toward the state and its security.”
He calls on Zamir to protect the IDF and its soldiers, and not to “risk them because of the prime minister’s worry that he’s going to lose the election.”
The Times of Israel Community.