Ehud Barak Accuses Netanyahu of Preparing Ground for War Ahead of Israeli Election

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of preparing the groundwork for a new war ahead of Israel’s October 27 election, alleging that a potential military escalation could be used to delay the vote. Speaking to Israel’s Channel 12, Barak said Netanyahu was “preparing the infrastructure to go to war in a way that would postpone the elections.”

Barak also called for Netanyahu’s removal from office, saying Israelis should “do everything” to remove him from power on October 27. In an unusually personal criticism, the former prime minister accused Netanyahu of repeatedly lying, using a series of remarks comparing the alleged behavior to eating and leaving a restaurant without paying.

The comments come amid debate over Netanyahu’s warnings about possible attacks ahead of the election and his consultations with senior security officials regarding potential military offensives on multiple fronts, as Israel continues operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. The October 27 election is expected to be Israel’s first general election since the October 7, 2023 war on Gaza, which Palestinian authorities and other sources cited in the report say has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and wounded at least 174,000.