Third election in a year likely to produce another impasse
Exhausted voters head to the polls in Israel’s third election in a year tomorrow, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu buoyed by a late boost in the polls despite a looming corruption trial.
After a decade in power, Israel’s mercurial leader risks seeing his political career go down in flames, following two inconclusive election results and accusations of bribery and fraud that will put him in the dock in March.
The latest polls suggest that Israel is heading for yet another stalemate between Netanyahu and rival Benny Gantz, a former army general and leader of the Blue and White party.
To save his presidency, Netanyahu will need the key support of loyal Likud voters in places like Ashkelon, a coastal town on the border with Gaza.
In the last week alone, Palestinian jihadists fired dozens of missiles towards Ashkelon and nearby towns. Many voters there seem unfazed by the corruption allegations against Netanyahu, dismissing them as a conspiracy.
Others believe that Netanyahu, who earlier this year unveiled a controversial plan with United States President Donald Trump for securing peace with the Palestinians, is the only candidate with the charisma for the tough negotiations that may follow.
Likud and its sister centreright party Kulanu won 1,293,000 votes in the April 2019 election, but slumped to 1,112,000 in the September election.
Even if Netanyahu holds on to power, voters suspect that the path to an agreement with the Palestinians will be long and arduous.
After failing to secure parliamentary immunity last month, Netanyahu said yesterday that he would face the corruption accusations against him head on in court, and would not seek to pass legislation to derail his upcoming trial, if he won reelection.
He faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust stemming from accusations that he accepted lavish gifts from billionaire friends, and promised to promote advantageous legislation for a major newspaper in exchange for favourable coverage.
If Likud edges ahead and with its allies wins more than 61 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, Netanyahu will have far more room to manoeuvre his way around the charges against him. Alternatively, if he falls short, he may be willing to step aside in return for some form of plea bargain that will keep him out of prison. – Telegraph Group, AP