Israel readies for third election in less than a year
Israel is bracing for an unprecedented third election in under a year, with voters eyeing an end to the deadlock but polls indicating another tight race despite criminal charges against the prime minister.
Two previous votes in April and September last year failed to produce a clear winner between right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main challenger Benny Gantz, who heads the centrist Blue and White party.
Ballot-weary Israelis have shown limited enthusiasm ahead of the March 2 election, with some grudgingly accepting the possibility of a fourth run before the year ends.
But there have been significant developments since Israelis last went to the polls.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest serving premier, has become the first to be indicted while in office. Charges unveiled in November and filed in court last month accuse him of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
The prime minister denies wrongdoing in the case.
The most serious allegation is that Netanyahu offered mogul Shaul Elovitch regulatory changes worth millions of dollars to his telecom giant Bezeq in exchange for positive coverage on Elovitch’s Walla! news website.
The trial starts on March 17. Since the last election, US President Donald Trump has unveiled his controversial plan to end the decades-long IsraeliPalestinian conflict.
Trump’s terms have been rejected by the Palestinians.
Netanyahu, who was standing next to Trump at the White House as the initiative was announced last month, cheered it as a “historic” opportunity for the Jewish state.
He has portrayed the deal as a product of his personal bond with Trump, which can only be implemented if he is re-elected prime minister. But neither the criminal indictments nor the pro-Israel Trump initiative have moved the polls.
Recent surveys indicate that Netanyahu’s Likud party and Blue and White will both fall short of the 61 seats required for a majority in parliament, the Knesset. Netanyahu has, ahead of past elections, been accused of making last-minute campaign pledges as a play for vital nationalist, right-wing support.
Last week he announced thousands of new Jewish settler homes in annexed east Jerusalem, construction projects considered illegal by most of the international community. —