There is no motive for this quarrel other than winning the election

The most bizarre turn of this election campaign so far was last weekend’s battle of Instagram, instigated by the actress and television presenter Rotem Sela.

Responding to an attack from Likud’s Culture Minister Miri Regev on what she called Blue & White’s preparedness to sit with Arab MKs in their coalition, Ms Sela wrote on the social media platform: “When the hell will someone in this government broadcast to the public that Israel is a country for all its citizens.”

In most countries, senior politicians do not risk confrontations with popular television stars. Israel is a different.

Within hours, Mr Netanyahu had replied: “Dear Rotem, an important correction: Israel is not a state of all its citizens. According to the Nation State law that we passed, Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish People — and them alone.”

Perhaps this Instagram exchange — in which Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot also weighed in — will finally dispel remaining illusions about the Nation State Law.

It is not about re-ordering the legal balance of the status of Israel’s citizens, because in real terms it barely changes a thing. It was not even about offending Israel’s non-Jewish citizens, although of course it achieved that.

The law was intended to do one thing and one thing only: boost Mr Netanyahu’s chances of re-election. He wanted it to be as controversial and non-consensual as possible.

He is convinced that framing the contest in the terms of Jewish rightwingers against the Arab-loving left is the most effective way to motivate Likud voters in their droves to the polling-stations.

Nothing else matters.

No surprise over his sudden insistence on the law