Yair Golan

"When you have an elderly and veteran leader, there is certainly an advantage in that," said Golan. "Of course, he was already 86 years old."

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: Despite painful October 7 commemorations, Netanyahu's bloc holds steady in polls as both sides clash over security failures, military achievements, and the flydubai incident.

The opposition bloc lost one seat after the Democrats dropped by one mandate, while the other parties in the bloc remained unchanged.

In a public statement, Likud said that on the morning of the October 7 massacre, "Avi Gil knew about the approaching attack and chose not to wake the prime minister in time."

N12's poll also found broad support for an Oct. 7 state inquiry and sharp political divisions over Netanyahu's responsibility for the massacre, while Eisenkot's Yashar emerged as the largest party.

The petition documents dozens of threats posted between July and late September, including calls for Golan to be shot or hanged and messages threatening members of his family.

The framework followed a top-secret decision adopted by the Ministerial Committee for Shin Bet Affairs on September 16, nearly two weeks before the petition was filed.

“If I put this ballot in the box, what government, policies, and political reality am I helping create?”

The Democrats said Israel Police had raised Golan’s risk level to 4 on a six-point scale, which it described as high and identical to the rating given to Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot.

Itzik Bonzel, a bereaved father placed 29th on the Likud slate by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, later apologized, saying he wrote the comment in a “storm of emotions” and “did not mean” it.