TV Debates Vanish From Israeli Election Campaigns
Translated & summarized from Kan News by baba
Television debates between Israeli prime ministerial candidates have become rare since 1999, largely due to Benjamin Netanyahu's avoidance following a challenging 1999 encounter. This has ended a tradition dating back nearly 50 years, though calls for debates, like one from Gadi Eisenkot in the current election, still occur. Netanyahu has used alternative tactics, such as a 2015 appearance behind Yitzhak Herzog during an interview. The article reflects on the loss of these direct confrontations, once a significant part of Israeli election campaigns.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Israeli prime ministerial candidates have largely avoided televised debates since 1999.
- Benjamin Netanyahu's avoidance stems from a difficult 1999 debate with Yitzhak Mordechai.
- The tradition of televised debates began nearly 50 years ago with Menachem Begin and Shimon Peres.
- Gadi Eisenkot recently invited Netanyahu to a debate, but such calls are not new.
- Netanyahu used a screen appearance behind Yitzhak Herzog in 2015 as an alternative tactic.
- The article expresses nostalgia for the era of direct televised political confrontations.
Television debates between candidates for prime minister, once a staple of Israeli election campaigns, have largely disappeared since 1999, with Benjamin Netanyahu notably avoiding them following a perceived difficult encounter with Yitzhak Mordechai that year. This avoidance has broken a tradition where candidates would face off on live television, a practice that began nearly 50 years ago with Menachem Begin and Shimon Peres. Netanyahu himself won a debate against Shimon Peres in 1996, just three days before the election, with host Dan Shilon opening the event with a call for a "good and calm, and I hope intelligent evening." In that debate, Netanyahu attacked Peres's approach to peace and security, while Peres responded by saying Netanyahu was trying to spread fear.
Despite the decline in direct confrontations, calls for debates persist. Most recently, Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Gadi Eisenkot invited Netanyahu to a televised debate three weeks before the current election, a call that was broadcast across all media channels. However, such invitations are not new, and Netanyahu himself has offered to debate in past elections, often for headline purposes. The tradition of debates, which saw candidates like Menachem Begin and Shimon Peres confronting each other after the 1977 "revolution," aimed to present their platforms on critical issues like peace and national identity.
Netanyahu has employed unconventional tactics in lieu of direct debates. In 2015, he appeared on a large screen behind his rival Yitzhak Herzog during an interview with Rina Matsliach, disrupting Herzog and creating a memorable moment with the slogan "I will keep Netanyahu united." This event has been referred to by some as the last election debate, underscoring the shift away from traditional televised confrontations. The article concludes by evoking nostalgia for the era of televised debates, comparing it to American political traditions and recalling Dan Shilon's closing remarks from a past debate, "Choose the good and may it be good for everyone, and good evening."
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