Thousands rally in Tel Aviv against Netanyahu three days before Israel's vote

Final rally in Tel Aviv

Thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday, 24 October, for a final protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, three days before the parliamentary election on Tuesday, 27 October. The rally took place at Hostages Square and was organised by the October Council, a group of relatives and friends of victims and survivors of the Hamas-led attack of 7 October 2023. Organisers estimated the turnout at about 100,000, a figure Israeli media reported, while other reports spoke only of thousands. Demonstrators demanded an independent commission of inquiry into the security failures that preceded the attack, a demand Netanyahu has refused. He rejects allegations that he received advance warnings of the assault and that the timeline of that morning was falsified, and he has launched a wave of defamation lawsuits against Israeli news organisations.

Opposition on the square

Opposition leaders turned out in force. Gadi Eisenkot, a former general who leads the Yashar! party and is favoured in opinion polls, attended the rally and was greeted warmly by the crowd. Israeli media reports said the leaders of the four main opposition parties also took part, among them former prime minister Naftali Bennett. Eisenkot lost a son in the Gaza Strip, and the groups that make up the so-called bloc for change agreed to approve an independent inquiry in the next political term.

Trump, Iran and the midterms

Asked how close he was to a possible attack on Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump declined to give details. He had recently said on social media that he would not strike Iran again before the 3 November midterm elections, but he left the option open and said a deal was also possible. Trump added that he doubted whether Iran would hold to any agreement.

Do you really think I'm going to tell you if I'm going to do it?

Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian accused Washington of disrupting negotiations to end the war, while saying he still believed the talks had to be completed. He said Iran's supreme leader had told officials to finish the deal. Separately, an Iranian military commander said Iran would not permit US warships to enter the Persian Gulf. Concern is growing in Iran and elsewhere that the US or Israel could resume attacks before or shortly after the Israeli and US votes.

Stakes of the election and economic warnings

Polls suggest neither Netanyahu's governing coalition nor the opposition alliance will secure a working majority in the Knesset. Netanyahu, 77, who has dominated Israeli politics for almost two decades, is seeking another term. In the campaign he has again warned of an Iranian atomic bomb and shared an image on social media said to show a nuclear explosion over Tel Aviv. Criticism has also come from the business community, where more than 100 economists and former senior officials reportedly expressed "deep concern" over his remarks that Israel must prepare for possible international sanctions against its banking system, including considering cryptocurrencies to get around them. Their letter warned that comprehensive sanctions would cause "enormous and irreversible damage" to the Israeli economy. Israeli voters go to the polls on Tuesday, 27 October, and Americans vote in the midterms on 3 November.