Bots, deepfakes and surveillance: Israel’s election goes to war online

What the report says

Israel’s general election has moved heavily into the online arena as polls show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc and the opposition led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot tied only days before voting. According to Al Jazeera, both sides are using social media ads, bots and AI-generated or deepfake videos to rally supporters, discourage rivals and shape turnout ahead of Tuesday’s vote.

The report says campaigns have used doctored clips portraying political opponents in damaging ways, including content aimed at the opposition and at Palestinian citizens of Israel, who are a significant voting bloc. It also cites reporting in Haaretz that bots originally created to target Iran had been redirected toward domestic campaign messaging. The Likud party is said to have promoted a turnout-tracking app, though election officials restricted one version over privacy concerns and the party moved to a different tool.

Analysts quoted by Al Jazeera said these tactics are part of a broader effort to deepen political polarization and mobilize voters in a race that may hinge on smaller parties and participation rates. The article also places the campaign in a wider context of long-running concerns about surveillance, data use and the unequal resources available to different parties, especially as Palestinians in Israel face heightened monitoring and political pressure.