Ex-Israeli premier warns Netanyahu could try to ‘steal’ next elections

Former Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert warned Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies could attempt to manipulate the next general elections, accusing them of using intimidation and coercion in the Knesset vote that elected a new state comptroller.

His warning came a day after the Knesset’s election of Michael Rabello, the Netanyahu family’s lawyer, as Israel’s new state comptroller.

Rabello, backed by the governing coalition, narrowly defeated opposition-backed retired Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron, amid warnings of potential conflicts of interest.

The opposition has alleged that the vote was marred by irregularities, including warnings for lawmakers against supporting the opposition candidate.

“What happened yesterday is a preview of what will happen in the next Knesset elections,” Olmert told Israel’s 103FM radio.

The current Knesset’s term expires in October, although legislation to dissolve parliament and potentially bring forward elections has been proposed.

“They are trying to rig the elections and steal them,” Olmert said. “They will try to do at polling stations what they did yesterday at the Knesset voting station, in front of television cameras and the entire world.

“They used mechanisms of blackmail and threats in violation of the law. This criminal gang is led by the prime minister and his aides,” Olmert said.

“I am issuing a warning,” he continued. “The prime minister and the gang of thugs governing the country with him will try to steal the elections.

“They believe they can prevent voters from going to the polls and influence the results,” he said.

“What happened yesterday involved blackmail through threats, vote theft, and the use of organized-crime methods to elect the candidate the prime minister wanted.”

- No strategic benefit

Turning to Lebanon, Olmert said there is a framework that could eventually lead to peace negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.

“There are some minor territorial issues that can undoubtedly be resolved,” he said.

Early Thursday, a joint Lebanese-US-Israeli statement announced that Beirut and Tel Aviv had agreed during talks in Washington to implement a ceasefire based on a complete halt to Hezbollah fire and the withdrawal of all Hezbollah members from the area south of the Litani River.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the US would determine the timing and mechanism for implementing the ceasefire, which could begin within 24 hours of receiving approval.

“Our problem is that we (Israelis) have a government that wants war in Lebanon, a government that wants to stay there,” Olmert said.

“It is a government under pressure from a group of lunatics who believe that southern Lebanon, eastern Syria, Gaza, and perhaps Yemen in the future are all lands given to them by God.”

He argued that part of any agreement with Lebanon should involve coordinated cooperation between Israel and the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah.

The Lebanese government is already pursuing a plan to place all weapons under state control, including Hezbollah’s arms, but the group insists it is a resistance movement against Israeli occupation and has rejected disarmament.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem has described direct negotiations with Israel as “absurd, humiliating and disgraceful,” saying any outcome would be “completely unacceptable” to broad segments of Lebanese society.

Olmert also said that if US President Donald Trump reaches an agreement with Iran to end the war between Washington and Tehran, it could create a framework for cooperation on the Hezbollah weapons issue.

“Our ground operations in southern Lebanon continue without practical value,” he said. “Israel should not have entered there. Our ground presence has brought no strategic benefit.”

Israel occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some held for decades and others seized during the 2023–2024 conflict. During the current offensive, Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory, marking their deepest incursion since 2000.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul