Democrats Party Claims Knife Attack Attempt on Yair Golan, Police Deny

The Democrats party reported a suspected stabbing attempt on its chairman, Yair Golan, during a campaign tour in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, the day of the 26th Knesset elections. The party claimed a suspicious individual approached Golan menacingly, and that a large knife fell from the suspect's clothing when security guards intervened. Golan immediately accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of inciting the incident, stating it was a direct result of Netanyahu's "poison machine." He urged the public to vote to ensure Israel "returns to being a free and safe place."

However, police later refuted the party's central claim, issuing a clear statement that "contrary to reports, no stabbing attempt occurred." According to police, officers noticed a suspicious object under the coat of a man near Golan in the Mesila Park. They detained the individual for inspection, discovered a knife, and arrested him. The suspect, a man in his 20s from Jerusalem, was taken for questioning regarding the circumstances of the incident.