On Aug. 6, Channel 12 News released a list of Knesset members who had visited Palestinian security prisoners in Israel in past years. Soon after, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted an incendiary response, targeting the left: “Tonight’s news about past visits by Knesset members from left-wing parties to prisoners convicted of murdering Jews shows how warped and dangerous the left is.” Netanyahu was referring to two people in particular: former Meretz Knesset member Haim Oron and the current chair of Labor-Gesher, Knesset member Amir Peretz, who is also a former defense minister. Both men had met with Marwan Barghouti at Hadarim Prison.

The list recorded more than 200 visits to Israeli prisons from 2010 to 2016. Some were to prisoners who had been involved in deadly terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of dozens of Israeli citizens. Most of the visitors were Knesset members from Arab political parties, including Ahmad Tibi, Jamal Zahalka and Aida Touma Suleiman. Barghouti, serving five consecutive life sentences plus 40 years for alleged involvement in terrorist attacks, was cited in the report as the prisoner who had received the most visits. In 2016, Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan banned Knesset members from meeting with prisoners convicted of terrorism or security-related offenses by preventing them from invoking parliamentary immunity to skirt the restriction.

The timing of the story — released in the heat of an election campaign — was hardly by chance. It had the clear political motive of serving the interests of the Likud and its leader. Netanyahu's despicable response, targeting the left — Peretz and Oron are, in fact, Zionists and patriots, acting for what they believe to be in the interest of the state — was intended to harm Peretz in particular. As expected, angry reactions from the right flooded social networks, with much of the wrath and indignation aimed at the Labor-Gesher leader.

Netanyahu, fighting for his political life, will go to battle over every vote to ensure that the right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties win 61 seats on Sept. 17 without the cooperation of Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman. He will wage this war on every imaginable front, both publicly and far from the spotlight. He attacked Peretz, because Peretz is trying to win support from voters on the soft right and even from traditional Likud supporters. Netanyahu lashed out at him in an attempt to scare off those potential defectors.