Netanyahu deploys AI videos as political weapon, aimed at voter fears of Arab power - The Forward
Benjamin Netanyahu's government deployed AI-generated videos on social media attacking political opponents by depicting them as controlled by Arab-Israeli leaders.
- Incident date
- May 2026
- Target
- Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett
As the Israeli election season heated up, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government deployed AI-generated videos against political opponents. The videos aimed to exploit voter fears about their opponents being controlled by Arab-Israeli politicians.
What happened
Netanyahu and his allies posted satirical AI-generated content on social media, targeting Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett. One video depicted Lapid and Bennett peeling off their faces to reveal Arab-Israeli leaders. Other content portrayed them as subservient to Arab figures. These videos were intended to capitalize on Bennett's past inclusion of an Arab party in his coalition, framing the choice for voters as one of national security.