Netanyahu’s North Policy Could Cost Him Votes, Analyst Warns

A commentary published amid the northern ceasefire campaign argues that Benjamin Netanyahu is alienating voters in Israel’s north, especially in Kiryat Shmona, and could pay for it in the next election. The piece says residents, worn down after nearly three years of insecurity, are furious that the government has contained attacks for so long and only now responded more forcefully.

The article recounts a closed government meeting held weeks ago after Netanyahu returned from a northern visit. He reportedly demanded an emergency discussion within an hour and told aides, “We are losing our people,” referring to Likud supporters in Kiryat Shmona and the surrounding area. But, the writer says, he had not yet grasped how deep the anger had become.

In Kiryat Shmona, the last Knesset election results showed 50 percent voting Likud, nearly 14 percent for Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, and 11 percent for Shas, meaning three quarters backed Netanyahu’s bloc. That picture has sharply changed, residents and social media reactions suggest. A city Facebook video of Netanyahu posted in early April drew 2,400 comments, with many saying they would no longer support him, including, “Bibi, you disappointed me” and “We will settle accounts with you at the ballot box.”

The commentary says the latest escalation made matters worse. For 50 days, Kiryat Shmona and the frontier areas were hit by constant fire while being told Israel could not respond because Donald Trump would not approve it. Only after fire spread to Carmiel, Safed, Tiberias, Acre and the Krayot did Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz order strikes in Beirut’s Dahieh district. The writer argues that by tolerating fire for too long, Netanyahu effectively created separate rules for different places and gave Hezbollah room to keep firing rockets and drones.

The piece notes that more than 90,000 eligible voters live in the confrontation-zone settlements and Nahariya, with 56,620 valid votes in the last election and almost 60 percent going to Netanyahu’s bloc. With polls suggesting the coming election may be decided by one or two seats, the columnist warns that the northern backlash could cost Netanyahu his position.