Israeli Election Coverage Focuses on Right-Wing Shift, Polls, and Campaign Strategies
Translated & summarized from i24NEWS by baba
As Israeli elections loom, a new i24NEWS poll shows the Likud party leading with 26 mandates, followed by Gadi Eisenkot's Yisrael! with 21. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed key policy issues in an interview, while campaign strategies highlight a divide between the right's focus on external threats and the left's focus on internal issues. The past four years have seen a significant shift towards a more assertive right-wing political stance.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- A new i24NEWS poll predicts the Likud party will win 26 mandates in the upcoming election.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed Palestinian policy, Iran's nuclear program, and other issues in an interview.
- Campaign strategies reveal the right focuses on external enemies, while the left targets internal issues.
- The right-wing in Israel has become more assertive in security and settlement policies over four years.
- The poll shows Gadi Eisenkot's Yisrael! party securing 21 mandates, and Naftali Bennett's party 12.
The Israeli political landscape is nearing its conclusion as election day approaches, with a focus on the right-wing's evolving dominance and campaign strategies. A recent i24NEWS poll conducted by Direct Polls, just three days before the election, indicates the Likud party leading with 26 mandates. Gadi Eisenkot's Yisrael! party follows with 21 mandates, and Naftali Bennett's Bayad (Together) party secures 12. Other parties like the Joint List (9 mandates), Otzma Yehudit, Shas, and Democrats (8 each), United Torah Judaism (7), and Religious Zionism-Identity and Yisrael Beiteinu (6 each) are also projected to pass the electoral threshold. Ra'am receives 5 mandates, Am Israel 4, while Miluimnikim and Ha'ekonomit fall below the threshold with 2.2% of the vote.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an interview with Noa Daromi on "Cabinet Shishi," discussed his policies regarding the Palestinian Authority, the recent attack at the Yehuda Junction, Iran's nuclear program, and the political standing of Ofer Winter and his party's influence on the right-wing bloc. The interview also touched upon the expansion of the Abraham Accords.
Analysis of the election campaigns reveals a stark contrast between the right and left blocs. The right has focused on external threats, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and Tehran, while the left has targeted internal issues, criticizing the Haredi community, West Bank settlements, and perceived failures leading up to the October 7th events. This divergence highlights a significant shift in Israeli politics over the past four years, where the right has moved from feeling constrained to a more assertive stance on security, settlement, and state institutions, with the protests against the judicial reform and the October 7th attack normalizing previously extreme right-wing viewpoints.
Separately, the program featured a discussion with Amir Schperling, a social media personality and former writer for "Eretz Nehederet," who transitioned to the Democratic campaign. Schperling has been involved in controversies due to his outspoken remarks, including confronting Amir Ohana and accusing individuals of betrayal. The program also included a segment on Ohad HaNavod's challenging journey to the Alps, involving a 4,000-meter climb and a paragliding jump.
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