Do values and ideology have a place in Israel's elections?

Published date03 October 2022
Publication titleIsrael National News (Israel)
That's it though, voting for the first time and a few times after. The Olim explained to me that the excitement to vote started to fade after a few times, and that they are getting tired of elections (they made aliyah just five years ago). Through the election campaigns over the last few years, they have lost sight of the issues and almost every party's platform has centered around if they are for or against the reelection of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Yesh Atid's Yair Lapid said in an interview on Friday September 30th with Makor Rishon and stated, "the worst thing that can happen to Israel is Benjamin Netanyahu being in the political sphere, it is absolutely the worst thing possible".

Benny Gantz, and the Nationalist Camp Party's campaign has been centered around the slogan that Netanyahu's reelection would be "Israel's November nightmare".

Gideon Saar and Avigdor Liberman were once prominent right wingers and because of their anti- Bibi crusade formed a coalition with Arab anti- Israel and progressive pro BDS left-wing parties.

Even Labor and Meretz which are supposedly hardline ideologically left-wing parties have said on many occasions that "they will do anything to take down Prime Minister Netanyahu and that this is the singular issue in the election". Though they both swore to never form a coalition with prominent right-wing politician, Naftali Bennett, they crowned him as Prime Minister after the last election.

Even some of the right-wing parties are guilty of centering their entire campaign around Benjamin Netanyahu. Who doesn't remember Aryeh Deri's (the head of Shas) promotional signs which were plastered all over Jerusalem and declared that "Bibi needs a strong Aryeh"?

And what about the backtracking and now constant reassurances by Yamina (Bennett and Shaked's defunct party) and today's Zionist Spirit led by Shaked, or by United Torah Judaism that they will support Netanyahu lest they lose support from their right-wing voter base?

Israel's elections should not be centered around one person, they should not be vacant of ideology and content. After all, we are the only people in the world with such a strong historical and biblical connection to our heritage and land. If there...

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