Man with knife arrested near Israeli opposition leader Yair Golan; his party calls it a suspected stabbing attempt, police say none occurred

As of 5:11 p.m. ET, Oct. 27, 2026

Israeli police arrested a man carrying a knife near Yair Golan, leader of the opposition Democrats party, during an election-day campaign stop in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. Golan's party described the incident as a suspected stabbing attempt that his guards foiled. Police said no stabbing attempt took place, Ynet reported.

In a statement quoted by Ynet, the Democrats said a man wearing a jacket approached Golan "in a threatening manner" during a get-out-the-vote tour at Railway Park in Tel Aviv. The party said Golan's guards blocked him and that, as they moved toward him, a large knife slipped from his clothing and fell to the ground. The guards restrained the man and called police, the party said.

Israel Police gave a different account. "While escorting a public figure in Railway Park, the forces at the scene noticed a suspicious object protruding from under the coat of a person who was near the public figure. The forces detained him for a check and found a knife in his possession," police said in a statement, according to Ynet, translated from Hebrew.

Police said there was no stabbing attempt, Ynet reported. According to police, the man did not threaten Golan at any point and was taken aside because his clothing raised suspicion; he is suspected of carrying a knife, Ynet reported. Police said the man, who is in his 20s and from Jerusalem, was arrested and taken for questioning at a central Tel Aviv police station. Police have not named him.

Golan, a retired Israeli army major general and former deputy chief of staff, blamed political incitement. "Incitement and violence will not deter us," he said, according to Ynet. "This is a direct result of the poison machine operated by Netanyahu and his Qatari agents." Ynet noted there was no immediate evidence of a political motive or of Golan's accusation against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Police previously rated the threat level against Golan at 4 on a six-point scale, Ynet reported. The Shin Bet security service took over responsibility for his security on Monday after a long legal fight over his protection, according to the party.

What is not known

The man's identity and his intent are not known, and police have not said whether he will face charges beyond the suspicion of carrying a knife. Ynet's reports do not describe Golan's condition. The party's and the police's accounts differ on whether the man approached Golan or threatened him, and it is not known whether video of the incident exists.