Current sectionIsrael NewsIsrael Elections 2026Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribePrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a news conference in Jerusalem on Monday. Credit: Ronen Zvulun/AFPWith his latest Orwellian political ads, Netanyahu is trying to frighten Israelis with the prospect of what awaits them if the opposition wins. Ironically, the horrors he warns of have already happened – under himDahlia ScheindlinJune 19, 2026Just a few weeks ago, political adverts for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his governing coalition were kind of funny. The cleverly scripted video poking fun at caricatures of secular-left wing Israelis, while a closeted right-wing family member tried to "come out" as a Netanyahu-supporter, made even some lefties chuckle at themselves. Now things have taken a darker turn.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:LikudIsraeli politicsIsraeli electionsBenjamin NetanyahuIsrael Elections 20262026 Israel-Iran WarMansour AbbasOctober 7CommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesNetanyahuHamasAli KhameneiMichigan Primary World CupBrad LanderHaQuizHaaretz PodcastIsrael Accuses Turkish FM of 'Clear Call for Genocide' After CNN InterviewErdogan Is Too Scared to Criticize Trump, So He Lashes Out at IsraelAfter Arabs, Netanyahu's Coalition Has Found a New Electoral Threat: Old PeopleJerusalem's Last Gay Bar Is Closing'Israel's Opposition Must Join With Arab Parties. It's the Right Thing to Do'Remembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIIsrael Has Long Ignored Warnings of a 'Diplomatic Tsunami.' Now It Has ArrivedAn Israeli Principal Desegregated a Tel Aviv School. Here's What HappenedDumber Than a 10-year-old: Are Israeli Students Really That Stupid?103 Nails on the Map: How Israel's Government Is Burying the Two-state SolutionRep. Dan Goldman Says Support for Israel Cost Him New York Democratic PrimaryNetanyahu Trolls Trump and Turkey: Why Israel Recognized the Armenian Genocide