A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, Israel’s largest political parties are shifting their campaign strategies as the country heads to its fourth election in just two years.
A poll by 103FM radio station released Tuesday showed the Likud Party receiving 28 seats in the next Knesset, the Yesh Atid Party coming in a strong second at 20 seats, and the New Hope Party garnering 11 seats. Naftali Bennett’s Yamina Party rose in the polls and was predicted to receive 12 seats.
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A polling station in Ashkelon during the March 2020 elections, as the pandemic began to appear in Israel
(Photo: Avi Rokah)
Amid a sense of election fatigue, the political strategies of Israel’s largest parties reflect the changing realities the pandemic has brought to the fore.
Many are focusing on virtual events and elaborate social media campaigns ahead of the March 23 vote.
With more than half of the population having had at least one dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, Israel on Sunday reopened much of its economy just in time for the elections.
Those who are fully inoculated can receive vaccine passports – so-called green passes – that enable them to attend concerts and dine indoors at restaurants, among other activities.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party was quick to catch on. “The Likud has begun to hold the first ‘green passport’ political rallies on earth,” says Avi Hyman, director of the Likud Anglo Campaign.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara wear masks at an election rally in Afula this week
“These events are happening across the country in accordance with the Ministry of Health guidelines.”
In addition to wooing the Arab sector, the Likud also is emphasizing their “Netanyahu or Lapid” message.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid is the head of the centrist Yesh Atid Party and is expected to be the largest party in the bloc opposed to Netanyahu after the elections.
“Only Netanyahu will continue to bring millions of vaccines, more historic peace treaties, stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and turn Israel into the fastest post-corona economy on earth, just as he turned Israel into the fastest country on earth to vaccinate its citizens,” Hyman said.
As for Yesh Atid, its core slogan is: “The time has come for a sane government.”
The premise is that the government under Netanyahu has been anything but sane and needs to be changed.
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Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid on the campaign trail posted on his party's Twitter feed
(Photo: Twitter)
Positioning Lapid as the clean, anti-corruption alternative to Netanyahu, Yesh Atid, which once joined forces with Benny Gantz and his Blue and White Party, is now expected to take on a crucial role in government coalition building.
“We believe Israel needs a sane government that will deal with the real problems faced by the Israeli public today, starting with rebuilding the economy and our health care system,” said a spokesperson for Yesh Atid.
“We’ve set a clear agenda for Israel and offer a liberal alternative. ”Due to the pandemic, the party’s campaign is most visible online across its social media channels, he added.
“Yesh Atid has always had one of the strongest field operations in the country and that has continued throughout this election, but instead of our big town hall meetings, we have shifted to big virtual town hall meetings which have reached tens of thousands of people,” the spokesperson noted.
A newcomer on the political playing field is New Hope, a center-right party being led by former Likud parliamentarian and government minister Gideon Saar.
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New Hope party leader Gideon Sa'ar and former Likud MK Yifat Shasha-Biton campaigning ahead of the March 23 vote
(Photo: Twitter)
The party refers to itself as “the only hope for change” and its primary slogan is: “Gideon Saar: Prime Minister for all.”
With this in mind, the party is essentially hoping to convince voters that Saar can put an end to the political instability that has hounded Israel for the past two years and be an effective right-wing successor to Netanyahu.
“New Hope is the only party that offers an exit strategy from that cycle of instability,” said a party spokesperson.
“Netanyahu has put his own interests above those of the country,” the spokesperson said. “The country is center-right leaning; therefore, it requires a leader on the center-right to form a government and end this seemingly endless cycle of elections and instability.”
Though New Hope started off strong at the beginning of its election campaign, the party has slipped in recent polls. Nevertheless, it hopes to put a spoke in the wheel of the Likud’s strategy.
“Netanyahu was going to sail [through] the elections but since New Hope was founded that’s no longer the case,” the spokesperson continued.
Like the Likud and Yesh Atid, New Hope is aiming to attract a broad base of Israeli voters from across the political spectrum.
“Any Israeli citizen who believes this country needs change and believes this country needs to be a strong Jewish democratic state,” the spokesperson said.
Article published with permission from The Media Line