Serious Warnings of Political Violence in Israel
Conflicts Forum’s compilation of commentaries from leading Israeli political commentators (predominantly translated from Hebrew), 4 June 2026.
‘Rhetoric is fuelling the next political assassination in Israel’; Top targets — Attorney General, President of Supreme Court & leading Journalists (Former Senior Shin Bet Official, Ma’ariv):
“The judiciary [is] a key target because too many elements of danger have converged around them … In a country where a channel broadcasts to a specific political camp and effectively becomes a tribal bonfire of anger, suspicion and revenge, its dangerous influence cannot be ignored. When the same messages are repeated over and over again, they create reality … Unfortunately, we have not learnt the lessons of Rabin’s assassination, and so the next political assassination is just around the corner”
Netanyahu Appoints Personal Lawyer as State Controller — His Most Corrupt Appointment Yet (Ha’aretz):
“The election of [Netanyahu’s personal lawyer] Rabello as Israel’s state watchdog marks another step in [his] drive toward one-man rule, a system in which he is no longer subject to oversight or scrutiny by the institutions tasked with holding his power to account … The dirty tactics that secured Rabello’s questionable victory are merely a preview of what may lie ahead in Israel’s next general election. They serve as a flashing red warning to the government’s opponents that the people they are up against are willing to cross every red line to preserve their hold on power”.
‘Netanyahu, the Con Artist, trying to escape his trial & leave a chance for an illegal pardon engineered by President Herzog’ /
Trump deprives Netanyahu of his ‘Bomb Beirut’ election strategy /
Criminality among Israel’s leaders is spreading with the quiet support of the Prime Minister /
Bill to split Attorney General’s role allows for her dismissal & enables Chief Prosecutor in Netanyahu’s trial to be dismissed
[These compilations are drawn from analysis & commentary by leading Israeli commentators, predominantly from the Hebrew press — as reports published in Hebrew often provide a different window on Israeli internal discourse. Minor edits have been made for clarity during translation].
CONSEQUENTIAL OBSERVATIONS —
Former senior Shin Bet official warns: ‘Rhetoric already fuelling the next political assassination in Israel’ (Dvir Kariv, Ma’ariv lead article 4 June):
At the end of a lecture on ideological violence, I was asked an obvious question: “Who is most under threat in Israel?” The answer caused the audience to shift uneasily in their seats. This is not a list of “who is hated the most”. It is a risk assessment, not a guess, which must be carried out given the dangerous situation in which Israel finds itself. My answer was given even before the home of the Deputy President of the Supreme Court Noam Solberg was attacked and vandalised, but even then I had identified the judiciary as a key target. Not because they are the only ones under threat, but because too many elements of danger have converged around them …
The question is who finds themselves at the dangerous crossroads where four elements converge: being marked as an enemy, moral justification for harm, physical accessibility, and above all, the significance of the harm inflicted upon them. The more intensely these elements converge, the greater the threat. The threat of ideological violence. The danger, God forbid, of the next political assassination.
A person … become[s] threatened when they are no longer seen as a political, professional or public rival, but rather as an obstacle to be removed. When the Attorney General is portrayed as someone blocking the ‘will of the people’, when the President of the Supreme Court is portrayed as a symbol of ‘Supreme Court rule’, when Guy Peleg, Ben Caspit, Drucker or Abramovich are portrayed not as “misguided journalists” … but as an arm of the imaginary “deep state” … a firestorm is created. And when there is no leader to calm the spirits, they continue to flare up …
In a country where a channel broadcasts to a specific political camp and effectively becomes a tribal bonfire of anger, resentment, suspicion and revenge – its dangerous influence cannot be ignored. When the same messages are repeated over and over again, they create reality …
The assassination of Rabin did not begin with three shots, but long before, in a process whereby a man was transformed, in the eyes of certain extremists, from someone who erred into a moral pariah, a traitor, a danger to the nation. Once the opponent becomes an existential threat, not much else is needed. All it takes is one person, certain of their righteousness, who feels that history has entrusted them with a mission. Rabin’s assassin made it clear during his interrogation that he would have found it difficult to carry out the murder without feeling that he had the wind at his back. He said that he was the one who carried out the murder, but that, as far as he was concerned, it was the people of Israel who pulled the trigger …
At the top of the list today, in my estimation, is the Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara … a symbol of the checks and balances on the government and the ruler. In the eyes of an extremist, an attack on her could be perceived as an attack on the entire system. Next is President of the Supreme Court, Yitzhak Amit. Next on the list are journalists. Guy Peleg is, in my view, the journalist at the greatest risk. Following him are Ben Caspit, Raviv Drucker and Amnon Abramovich. They are not only attacked, they are repeatedly portrayed as part of a hostile apparatus. Here, the danger lies in the shift from incitement against ‘the media’ to targeting specific individuals. Following them is protest leader Shikma Bressler, alongside other protest leaders. Further down the list are Netanyahu and senior ministers, led by Ben-Gvir. They are under threat, but are heavily protected [so] the level of security dramatically alters their actual vulnerability …
Unfortunately, we have not learnt the lessons of Rabin’s assassination, and so the next political assassination is just around the corner. Responsibility always lies with the leader of the camp … A leader sets the tone. He determines the boundaries of what is permitted and what is forbidden. When the leader allows a person to be marked as an enemy, the camp understands. When he remains silent, the camp understands. And when he condemns half-heartedly, with ‘but’ or ‘the other side too’, the camp understands all too well. There is a fine line. A half-hearted condemnation is more dangerous than no condemnation at all. No condemnation is dangerous silence, whereas a half-hearted condemnation is approval disguised as responsibility. It does not extinguish the fire; on the contrary, it fuels it. In the face of incitement and ideological violence, a sharp, clear and immediate condemnation is required.
Democracy without criticism is not democracy. But there is a line that must not be crossed. The line between “you are wrong” and “you are a traitor”, between political disagreement and “you are a danger, and a danger must be removed”. Do not look only for the person under threat. Look for what legitimises the harm done to them. Look for the studio that amplifies it. Look for the leader who failed to intervene in time. That is where the danger begins.
Dvir Kariv, expert on incitement & extremism in Israeli society, served in Shin Bet for 22 years, mostly focused on countering non-Arab terrorism. He was responsible for information and intelligence in the investigation into the assassination of PM Rabin.
His Most Corrupt Appointment Yet — Netanyahu Appoints his Personal Lawyer as State Controller in illegal voting process (Gidi Weitz, Ha’aretz):
The election of [Netanyahu’s personal lawyer] Michael Rabello as Israel’s state watchdog marks another step in Netanyahu’s drive toward one-man rule, a system in which he is no longer subject to oversight or scrutiny by the institutions tasked with holding his power to account. It is also Netanyahu’s most corrupt appointment to date, further underscoring the extent of his control over the members of his political crime organisation, even behind the secrecy of the Knesset ballot …
Once it became clear that the opposition candidate, retired Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron, was just one vote short of victory in the first round, Netanyahu and his allies launched an intense pressure campaign against dissenting lawmakers. The low point came when members of the ruling party were instructed to photograph themselves placing the “correct” ballot in the ballot box, despite the law explicitly requiring the vote to be secret. Knesset Legal Adviser Sagit Afik prohibited the contaminated move, but Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana blatantly defied her ruling. In a functioning democracy, the High Court might have intervened to invalidate Rabello’s election. Israel, however, has long ceased to function as such, and the court itself increasingly appears unable or unwilling to act as an effective check on power …
The dirty tactics that secured Rabello’s questionable victory are merely a preview of what may lie ahead in Israel’s next general election. They also serve as a flashing red warning to the government’s opponents that the people they are up against are willing to cross every red line to preserve their hold on power. If Netanyahu ultimately loses he … will still retain significant influence at the top of the state. The heads of the Shin Bet and Mossad, along with the newly appointed state comptroller, all have reasons to feel indebted to him. If he wins, however, he is likely to take his doctrine of personal loyalty a step further, placing trusted loyalists in senior positions with the expectation that they serve him above all else.
Avi Scharf (Ha’aretz NatSec/Cyber editor):
This was supposed to be a secret ballot – to elect Israel’s next Gov’t watchdog. Then Netanyahu ordered all his party’s lawmakers to illegally livestream themselves voting, for fear of losing this important vote.
The appointment of Rabello, Netanyahu’s lawyer, to the post of State Comptroller is nothing less than a dramatic upheaval of the accepted rules and the institutional framework that is supposed to uphold the country … Secret elections are supposed to be free; Secrecy is intended to allow voters the freedom to decide according to their conscience, knowledge and considerations. The moment they are required to photograph the ballot [vote], they are deprived of this fundamental democratic right. These are no longer democratic elections; they are elections under duress; this is not a personal decision but an arbitrary dictate. And all this, for what? There is no struggle here over a Basic Law or a peace agreement or the evacuation of settlements or the death penalty. What we have here is an act which, on its face, in and of itself, testifies to a complete loss of direction, an astonishing moral bankruptcy, a dramatic meltdown of the accepted rules and the state framework that is supposed to hold this country together.
Criminality among Israel’s leaders is spreading with the quiet support of the Prime Minister (Yossi Verter, Ha’aretz):
Supreme Court President Isaac Amit spoke [this week] at the Israel Bar Association conference about the “danger of normalisation” in the deliberate and orchestrated dissemination of statements regarding the Supreme Court’s role, for example, in the October 7 massacre … Amit said … explicitly for the first time, that the systematic delegitimisation of the [Supreme] Court and its rulings will lead to a refusal to accept election results. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara warned of anarchy when rulings are no longer considered binding. When the anarchists are in power, anarchy is already here …
Criminality is spreading. Under the auspices of the government, with the quiet and insidious support of our Prime Minister … Justice Minister Levin is threatening, for the umpteenth time, non-compliance with an “illegal” High Court of Justice ruling … Netanyahu and Levin are not letting up on the judicial overhaul … throughout the week, the Knesset will continue to advance laws, most of which are unconstitutional, corrupt … tainted by flaws in the legislative process, and destined to be struck down by the High Court of Justice.
The mirror image of the government’s brutalisation and violence … is the increase in rampages by extremist Haredim. One day, they attack the home of the head of the Military Police criminal investigation division, the next day that of the head of the Traffic Police. And no one in the government says a word. Certainly not Netanyahu, who fawns over the ultra-Orthodox factions and promotes despicable laws to gain a few more weeks in power. Levin wants chaos, civil war, blood in the streets. Arye Dery is threatening a tax revolt because the Attorney General is demanding law and order … And Netanyahu remains silent. He is the chief agent of chaos … the central threat … hovering over the State of Israel.
President Herzog’s meetings that could bring Netanyahu’s trial to a close (Miki Levin, Ma’ariv):
Ten years after the investigations began, and six years since the Netanyahu trial commenced, [Israel public broadcaster KAN’s] ‘Real Time’ attempted to … remind the public what the trial is actually about … Thorough, precise investigative work, the programme succeeded in dismantling one of the most successful political and media campaigns run in the last decade. It did not dismantle the Netanyahu cases, but rather the false narrative built around them. The central question at stake was both simple and jarring: how is it possible that the same Netanyahu who [denied] evading [his] trial … is allegedly simultaneously orchestrating a massive pressure campaign aimed at halting the trial? This is no longer merely a legal question. It is a public question. Over the past year, the Netanyahu camp has managed to reduce the thousands of case files to two words: “Bugs Bunny”, and “cigars and champagne”. Anyone who hasn’t followed the case closely has been convinced that this is an absurd witch-hunt centred on a cartoon character and a few boxes of cigars and pink bottles.
Real Time … point[ed] out that the main story is not about gifts but the suspicion of accepting bribes or benefits in exchange for favours; to point out that Case 4000 concerns the link between governmental power and regulatory benefits, as well as requests for intervention in media coverage … For years, the public has been bombarded with slogans, messages and campaigns that have turned the entire trial into a caricature … When it comes to the facts, suddenly the whole thing becomes much less funny and much more complex …
One of the central themes of the investigation concerned attempts to bring the trial to an end through what is commonly referred to as a ‘pardon’, although Netanyahu is not seeking a pardon in the traditional sense but rather the annulment or suspension of the trial. This is where the President of the State, Yitzhak Herzog, comes into the picture. The investigation presented a series of testimonies and contacts that took place over the years regarding the issue of the pardon. Particularly notable was the interview with Moti Sender, considered one of the people who was very close to the rooms where the most sensitive discussions took place … When asked why Herzog, whilst serving as Chairman of the Jewish Agency in 2019, was so intensely preoccupied with the question of a pardon for Netanyahu, Sender replied with a single sentence: “Because he already had his eye on the presidency”. Is this proof of a deal? Of course not. But it is another piece of the jigsaw that has been taking shape for years.
The investigation revealed that in recent months, meetings took place between President Herzog and two of Netanyahu’s associates – Ron Dermer and Michael Kleiner – which were not reported to the public, and which dealt with the issue of bringing Netanyahu’s trial to a close. The very fact that such meetings took place is not in itself objectionable, certainly when the President is sometimes required to deal with sensitive and matters of state. But the fact that, according to the investigation, they were not reported to the public raises complex questions about transparency, especially when it comes to an issue that divides Israeli society more than any other …
The most compelling part of the episode was actually the raw data … only 41% of the scheduled days of testimony took place in full. During the prosecution’s cross-examination, only 24% of the scheduled witness days were held in full. In other words, it was precisely when the stage came to face tough questions from the prosecution that the scale of cancellations and postponements was particularly striking …
[The program shows] that this was not merely the criminal trial of a single individual. It is a much broader struggle over the very legitimacy of the state’s institutions. ‘Real Time’ exposed what appears to be a whole system of campaigns, pressure, messages, intermediaries and activists dedicating their energies to a single goal: to bring the trial to an end before a verdict is reached. This is not merely a struggle over Netanyahu’s innocence, but a struggle over the very public trust in the justice system, the prosecution, the police and the gatekeepers. For years, a sophisticated campaign has been built here that has succeeded in convincing large sections of the public that there is no case, no evidence, no trial … This is not merely a snapshot of a criminal case, but of an entire world built around it, which operates just like a criminal organisation. A world in which investigators find themselves under attack, in which campaigns are mounted against prosecutors and judges, in which private investigators are sent after the prosecutor, in which pressure is exerted behind the scenes, and in which political messages become, for many, an alternative truth. This was perhaps the most alarming insight — the willingness to undermine public trust in the justice system in order to prevent [the trial] … Ultimately, this is not merely a question of whether Netanyahu will be convicted or acquitted. It is a question of whether Israel will continue to be a state governed by the rule of law, where decisions are made in the courts, or a state where political campaigns are more powerful than the facts … [The program] did not present a single smoking gun, but rather dozens of pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that came together to form a particularly jarring and disturbing picture … If there is one conclusion that emerges, it is that the real struggle has long since ceased to be merely about Netanyahu’s legal fate – it is about the fate of the justice system itself … If the State of Israel wishes to remain a state governed by the rule of law, it must not succumb to campaigns, spin and attempts to undermine public trust in its institutions …
Netanyahu’s Corruption Trials Ten years On — “Perhaps the defining event of our era” (Avi Amit, Senior Journalist, KANN Israeli public news channel):
Exactly ten years ago (!) the Netanyahu [corruption] cases began. Exactly six years ago the trial began — perhaps the defining event of our era. On Kann’s ‘Real Time’ a fascinating investigation into the question now facing a decision by the President of the State: How could it be that despite the Prime Minister fervently declaring “Am I dodging my trial??? What utter nonsense, I’ve been waiting 8 years”, he is now operating a massive pressure machine on Herzog so that the latter will help him halt the trial … We reveal new and very interesting details about the connection between the two, and take a peek inside the mechanism trying to disrupt the trial—almost without limits.
‘Netanyahu, the con artist, trying to escape his trial, drag out his testimony & leave a chance for an illegal pardon’ (Orly Bar-Lev, independent journalist covering Netanyahu’s trial):
1 June – Today we saw another episode of the con artist trying to escape his trial, drag out his testimony, leave a chance for an illegal pardon, and evade a reasonable possibility of conviction and imprisonment … Last week, instead of 3 days of testimony, we got a total of one day of testimony cumulatively, after cancellations and shortenings at the defendant’s request.
2 June – Netanyahu Trial – Day 92 of Netanyahu’s Testimony: Even today, Netanyahu contradicts his previous versions, switches versions, dodges, and when cornered, raises his voice and pounds on the table. And of course, continues to flee from his trial.
Trump deprived Netanyahu of his ‘Bomb Beirut’ election strategy (Ben Caspit, Al-Monitor):
Trump’s veto of Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut, delivered in reportedly a furious phone call with Netanyahu, has deprived [Netanyahu] of a central pillar of his reelection strategy … A source close to Netanyahu [said]: “It puts Netanyahu’s strategy in jeopardy. It places all the achievements of the war so far in doubt, raises questions about Netanyahu’s ability to achieve any kind of victory — certainly not the ‘total victory’ he has marketed to the public since Oct. 7. And this also has a direct impact on the upcoming elections” … Netanyahu appears largely helpless in the face of these public humiliations. A senior Israeli political source [said] that Netanyahu is unable to reject American demands as he did under Democratic leaders.
Trump exposed Netanyahu’s bluff (Ben Caspit, Ma’ariv):
Netanyahu learned firsthand … what happens when you put all your eggs in one uncontrolled basket. Trump blew up in his face at once, hurling insults, blasphemies, and even claiming that “without me you would already be in jail, you fucking ungrateful”. That’s how it is in life. When you delegate powers and transfer responsibility for making decisions to foreign hands, you need to take into account that it may backfire on you. When you sell national security for assistance in obtaining amnesty and a quashing of the trial, you may be left with no national security, no amnesty, but with a trial.
Bill to split Attorney General’s role allows for her dismissal and enables Chief Prosecutor in Netanyahu’s trial to be dismissed (Knesset member Orit Farkash Hacohen, former Minister of Technology, Tourism & Strategic Affairs; Chair of Israel’s Energy Authority; member of Finance Committee & Chair of AI committee):
Here is the truth about the bill that passed its first reading [days ago], and the clauses included in it, in addition to splitting of the [AG] role: It is sufficient for the government to ‘deem it appropriate’ … to disregard a legal opinion. On any matter it may instruct a civil servant or anyone else to disregard and not act upon the opinion …; The bill makes it far too easy for the government or a minister to hire a private lawyer in any public proceeding … Section 22 stipulates that if the minister or the government hires a private lawyer, then the Attorney General is silenced … In other words, in all the most corrupt cases – and precisely in those cases – the government or the minister will automatically hire lawyers, and in the process they will simply refuse to grant the Attorney General permission to present facts and implications as the gatekeeper and voice of the public. Two birds with one stone. Dismissal of the Attorney General – under the law as of tonight, this will be done with the utmost ease. All it takes is ‘a recommendation from the Prime Minister and a minister, if there are differences of opinion that make it difficult for the government to maintain cooperation’ … That is all. No committee, no oversight … They want a mere puppet. Obedient. This clause will also immediately enable the Chief Prosecutor in the Prime Minister’s trial to be finally dismissed, and will assist Deri, Ben-Gvir and the whole gang with the legal problems hanging over their heads.
What does this have to do with the separation of the various roles [of the AG]? Absolutely nothing. Quite the opposite … The result is alarming. This is not reform; [but] laws under the guise of the war, being pushed through by a government on its last legs.
‘Netanyahu determined to appoint far-right conspiracy theorist on steroids’ as Israel’s New York Consul General’ (Ben Caspit):
Netanyahu is determined to appoint Caroline Glick as Israel’s Consul General in New York. Glick, a far-right conspiracy theorist on steroids, is known for her hatred of Reform and Conservative Jews. Which is the vast majority of New York Jews, the largest Jewish city in the world. Ophir Akunis, the current consul, has more than a year left in the role. How do they maneuver around that? They offer Akunis the position of chairman of the Jewish National Fund, to clear the spot for Glick.
https://conflictsforum.substack.com/p/serious-warnings-of-political-violence