“We are the first country to get out of the corona woes,” says Shimi Hevroni. “What else do you want?” For the Israeli, the rapid vaccination program is an additional reason to vote for his prime minister. “There is no better leader,” he says.
Hevroni is waiting for Netanyahu’s arrival in a Tel Aviv suburb, where the election caravan passes today. Every day Netanyahu tours halls and halls throughout the country. Those kinds of meetings are allowed again, after his government has taken public life step by step in recent weeks from the lock.
The easing is due in large part to the smooth vaccination campaign. A large majority of adults in Israel have already been fully vaccinated against the corona virus, and the number of infections continues to decline.
Unfortunately strong
For Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is one of the most important topics in his election campaign, in addition to the diplomatic agreements he signed with various Arab countries. Israel will go to the polls on Tuesday, for the fourth time in more than a year and a half. With a good result, the 71-year-old right-wing leader, who has been in power for twelve years, could add a new term.
The vaccination campaign is an important electoral weapon in this regard. Netanyahu was the first to get himself vaccinated, and was there when the millionth and 5 millionth Israelis were vaccinated. “We are world champions in vaccinations,” he shouts from the podium in Holon, the Tel Aviv suburb where he is campaigning.
Netanyahu supporters have seen their image of a strong leader defending Israeli interests on the world stage. But at the same time, the prime minister, who is suspected of corruption, remains highly unpopular in much of the country. For more than six months, there have been weekly demonstrations at his official residence, which sometimes attract tens of thousands of demonstrators.
Many mistakes
And Netanyahu also meets the protesters on campaign. A few meters apart, the prime minister’s supporters and opponents stand shouting at each other through megaphones, separated by crush barriers. “It is our civic duty to protect Israel’s democracy,” said Victor Vertsner, megaphone and black flag in hand.
Vertsner hopes that the Netanyahu era will come to an end after the election. “He has arranged the vaccines well, but another prime minister could have done that too,” said the protester. “The problem is, Netanyahu is corrupt and only thinks about himself.”
His opponents believe that the prime minister should resign because of the long drawn-out corruption case. Netanyahu is in court on charges including bribery and fraud. In addition, the opposition points out that the government has made many mistakes in the corona crisis in the past year.
Stalemate
But a real alternative to Netanyahu does not seem to be available either. His opponents are divided and all score well below the Prime Minister’s Likud party in the polls. That certainly applies to Benny Gantz, the former challenger who decided to work with Netanyahu after three undecided elections. He was criticized for this, and it is uncertain whether his party will pass the electoral threshold.
Likud scores around 30 seats in the polls. Yesh Atid, of opposition leader Yair Lapid, follows at a distance with just under 20 seats. But the magic number is 61 again next Tuesday, the number of seats needed for a majority in parliament. Over the past three times, both Netanyahu’s allies and opponents have failed to get the necessary number of MPs behind them.
According to the latest polls, it is unclear whether there will be a majority for one of the two camps this time. This also means that it is not certain that the stalemate that has held politics in its grip for about two years will come to an end. And so a fifth consecutive election is not out of the question.
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