In the 24 hours before a “definitive vote for the fate of the Jewish people” – a mantra repeated in the previous four elections – Israeli political parties bombard with heroic SMS and videos to sway fatigued or undecided voters. “Look what we accomplished in the last four months. Allow us to continue another four years”, implores Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid), highlighting his fleeting work of government. “Terrorism raises its head, with us we enjoy the quietest decade in history,” Likud boasts. “To fight Kahanism (extreme right), Meretz needs your support!”, urgently urges the leftist faction, on the verge of disappearance.
With polls heralding a new lockdown, any jolt could tip the scales. Benjamin Netanyahu, an expert in winning maneuvers, has already revealed his cards. In 2015, Bibi got a boost in extremis when she warned that “buses of Arabs are marching to the polls.” He encouraged his faithful, who gave him an unexpected victory against Labor Isaac Herzog.
According to an investigation published by Channel 13, Likud hired advisers to design giant posters in Arabic disparaging the leaders of said parties in order to discourage voting in this sector. The polls suggest that the three Arab lists will struggle to exceed the percentage of the minimum vote to enter the Knesset, and Netanyahu is in favor of a low participation that leads to his failure. In this way, the centrist Yair Lapid would lose support –not guaranteed in advance–, which would make it difficult for him to add the 61 deputies required to remain in office.
“The response to the attempt to weaken Likud: a massive vote of Arabs and Jews”, they encourage from progressive platforms, who brand the Likudnik strategy as anti-democratic and illegal. From the popular Yediot Ajaronot tabloid, whose owner is involved in a lawsuit against Netanyahu for plotting favorable media coverage, they “gifted” a front page to Likud. “Record death toll in attacks since 2015,” he states, with a subtitle referring to two Palestinian attacks on Monday in the West Bank. The subliminal message: a Yair Lapid conditioned by Arab forces will not apply a heavy hand.
From Yesh Atid they avoid direct confrontation with their main adversary. Lapid appeals to national unity to heal the internal wounds, which have been infecting the conflicts between the different “tribes” of Israel for years. “I never considered that we were divided between us and them. We all love the country, we are Zionist patriots who want to live together. I ask for the trust of those who did not vote for me in the past”, demands the centrist leader.
To promote his return to power, Bibi must strengthen the ultra-Orthodox United Judaism of the Torah (Ashkenazi) and Shas (Sephardic) parties. The lack of motivation of these communities, more concerned with the study of Torah than with the exhausting political scuffles, generates concern in Likud.
Faced with the cancellation of ultra-Orthodox political rallies, Netanyahu has granted interviews to the religious press and has met with rabbis to boost morale. Yitzhak Goldknopf, leader of the Ashkenazi Orthodox faction, has gone even further. While the most radical sectors clamor to “turn off the internet and television” to avoid being contaminated by modernity, Goldknopf has made his debut in a Twitter clip promising to contain the rising cost of living, which hits his electorate especially hard. With no prior political experience, he aspires to become the next finance minister.
The liberal secular sectors that supported the “Government of change” join ranks to avoid “a state based on Jewish law.” With the demographic battle lost to the religious, they paint the fifth election as a Champions League final. “The Netanyahu years were a moral and value drift. He doesn’t care that the country burns, he only cares about saving himself from his trials,” they insist.
During the voting day, in which politicians will continue to demand the vote, Lapid has promised that “we will work harder than anyone, we will reach each locality and each undecided”. Giving touches to a soccer ball, Netanyahu draws a tie on the scoreboard. “Every vote is decisive. We must ensure the victory of the right wing ”, he blurts out before the camera before shooting and scoring a goal.
