AFP, JERUSALEM: Israelis vote next week in an election seen as a
referendum on the tenure of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who could
lose but still secure a new term in power. Netanyahu, 65, called for
the March 17 vote late last year as his coalition government teetered on
the brink of collapse. It will be Israel’s third election since 2009
and the premier’s biggest challenge after six years at the helm.
“Netanyahu is the big question here, after having been in power for so
long,” said political analyst Tamir Sheafer. The veteran rightwing
leader is not certain to win the vote, with the most recent opinion
polls giving a three-point lead to the centre-left Zionist Union led by
Isaac Herzog. But with polls showing Netanyahu’s natural allies on the
right likely to win the most seats, he has a clear advantage in piecing
together a coalition with smaller parties.
On Thursday, Netanyahu conceded his opponents could win and warned that would threaten Israel’s security.
“Our security is at great risk because there is a real danger that we could lose this election,” he told the Jerusalem Post. He said an opposition victory would “cause such a monumental shift in policy that it is a danger.”
The next prime minister will have to deal with a series of daunting domestic and foreign policy challenges including Iran’s nuclear programme, repairing ties with the United States and maintaining economic growth.
And then there are the tricky issues of ties with the Palestinians following the collapse of peace talks last year, instability left over from the 2014 Gaza war and a looming legal challenge at the International Criminal Court.
As in previous elections, Netanyahu has framed himself as the only candidate capable of protecting Israel from Iran and the threat of Islamic extremism.
Last week, he made a bellicose address to the US Congress in which he pilloried nuclear talks between world powers and Tehran, in a move that put severe strain on Israel’s relationship with the White House.
It was also aimed at sending a message of strength to voters back home. But analysts are unconvinced that sabre-rattling is the best way to win votes this time.
“It has been a while since Israelis wanted a ‘strongman’; we want the next leader to be charismatic and to solve problems,” Sheafer said.
Netanyahu’s only realistic challenger is Herzog, who in pushing for social justice and fresh talks with the Palestinians is offering voters a stark alternative.
A shrewd diplomat who has held several cabinet posts, Herzog has every bit the political pedigree to be the next prime minister but has been accused of lacking charisma, Sheafer says.
Still, with many Israelis feeling the pinch from the soaring cost of living and a housing crisis, Herzog and his number two—former chief peace negotiator Tzipi Livni who heads the centrist HaTnuah faction—may have found a stick big enough to beat Netanyahu with.
On Thursday, Netanyahu conceded his opponents could win and warned that would threaten Israel’s security.
“Our security is at great risk because there is a real danger that we could lose this election,” he told the Jerusalem Post. He said an opposition victory would “cause such a monumental shift in policy that it is a danger.”
The next prime minister will have to deal with a series of daunting domestic and foreign policy challenges including Iran’s nuclear programme, repairing ties with the United States and maintaining economic growth.
And then there are the tricky issues of ties with the Palestinians following the collapse of peace talks last year, instability left over from the 2014 Gaza war and a looming legal challenge at the International Criminal Court.
As in previous elections, Netanyahu has framed himself as the only candidate capable of protecting Israel from Iran and the threat of Islamic extremism.
Last week, he made a bellicose address to the US Congress in which he pilloried nuclear talks between world powers and Tehran, in a move that put severe strain on Israel’s relationship with the White House.
It was also aimed at sending a message of strength to voters back home. But analysts are unconvinced that sabre-rattling is the best way to win votes this time.
“It has been a while since Israelis wanted a ‘strongman’; we want the next leader to be charismatic and to solve problems,” Sheafer said.
Netanyahu’s only realistic challenger is Herzog, who in pushing for social justice and fresh talks with the Palestinians is offering voters a stark alternative.
A shrewd diplomat who has held several cabinet posts, Herzog has every bit the political pedigree to be the next prime minister but has been accused of lacking charisma, Sheafer says.
Still, with many Israelis feeling the pinch from the soaring cost of living and a housing crisis, Herzog and his number two—former chief peace negotiator Tzipi Livni who heads the centrist HaTnuah faction—may have found a stick big enough to beat Netanyahu with.
