Channel 13 journalist Raviv Drucker gave a rare look at how his political analysis is shaped by his own hopes and fears in an interview on Itay Segev’s ALL IN podcast. Speaking about the coming election campaign, Drucker said he now finds it hard to separate his wish that Benjamin Netanyahu suffer a major defeat from his professional assessment of the polls. He admitted that his expectations have influenced his readings of the race, saying, “This is wishful thinking, that is my problem. I am so unable to bear the alternative that I do not know if I am capable of assessing differently.”
Drucker said he had already been wrong in previous elections because of this bias. “In past elections I estimated he would have 61 and I was wrong, he had 64,” he said, adding that it is difficult for him to believe Netanyahu could be far from 61 seats in the polls for three years and then suddenly rise above that threshold in just three months.
Asked how he would react if the right-wing bloc won a majority, Drucker answered in dramatic terms. “If that happens, we will get under the blanket, connect with our feelings, and maybe cry. We will cry for three days and get out of bed,” he said. He added, “I do not know how to prepare for that possibility. In my view, it is the end of the world, nothing less. I do not know how one continues to live if Netanyahu forms a full right-wing coalition.”
Drucker argued that the judicial overhaul debate was minor compared with what he expects under such a government. He said the planned measures are already prepared for institutions including the public broadcaster, Galei Tzahal, the broader media, Channel 14, Galei Israel, the attorney general, the Supreme Court, and human rights organizations. He ended with a warning that if Netanyahu reaches 61 seats, “there will be lines at the embassies.”
