It has felt interminable: This campaign heading us toward the election of the 26th Knesset on October 27. (Voting has already commenced for those citizens who are outside of Israel on behalf of the state: primarily those serving in diplomatic roles, as well as those serving in various military or security positions.)
But something of potential significance happened on Sunday, October 18, when Trump posted a glowing endorsement of Netanyahu on his Truth Social platform (emphasis added):
Calling Netanyahu “a Great Warrior Prime Minister…in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran.” He said that “It would have been only a question of time until Iran would have put that ominous phrase [Death to Israel, death to America] into effect…but they have been systematically destroyed…and unless they change their ways, rapidly, we will soon finish the job.”
Trump went on to say, “If Israel has the wrong Leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do this work ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so. Bibi Netanyahu has been Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel, itself. Despite all of that, he has endured and, in fact, he has thrived! I have watched Bibi under the most trying of times. Normal men or women in such situations would have wilted under the pressure — But Bibi did not wilt, he actually got stronger, and maintains that same Strength today. This is the kind of Partner that the United States of America is demanding of Israel… Please let this Letter serve to represent my Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu in his upcoming Race for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Israel. BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN! Thank you for your attention to this matter…”
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117462449149582042
Wow! Quite an endorsement. With everything else, Trump is essentially saying that he needs Bibi to win the election if he (Trump) is going to act to finish Iran.
Kobi Gideon/GPO
This came just days after the president had declined to endorse Netanyahu and said he didn’t trust anyone. What spurred this turn-around? We will likely never know with certainty. It has been suggested that Bibi sought Trump’s assistance. I cannot say that this is impossible, but I am looking at the reality for Trump, who certainly has a proclivity for doing what he thinks is best for himself or the US. Recent reports suggest that Trump checked polls, assuring himself that Bibi had a solid chance of winning, before coming out for him.
It certainly appears that the president is ramping up for a major military confrontation with Iran, so that it becomes very much a matter of when and not if. Even before the endorsement, our prime minister had committed to fighting alongside the US when Trump gave the order to attack. That commitment may have secured the endorsement.
Would Trump want to go into battle with Iran with anyone other than Netanyahu at the helm in Jerusalem?
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Not everyone here in Israel appreciated Trump’s actions. He has been reminded by some officials here – notably Gadi Eisenkot, head of “Yashar!” (Straight) – that the election is an internal affair and outside interference is inappropriate.
In point of fact, this is absolutely the case. But Trump’s statement is out and Bibi, for his part, thanked the president for the extraordinary endorsement. Yesterday he carried it one step further, making a call to Trump in order to thank him again. “We have a job to finish,” he said, “and we will finish it together.”
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/G-g7SAP1-_k
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Will this affect the outcome of the election? It is difficult to predict. Some will undoubtedly resent this entire scenario. But others, who urgently want to see Iran finished, may decide that re-electing Netanyahu, which is something they were at least considering, is the right move if it advances the possibility of taking down Iran. Bibi, after all, has already proven himself in readiness to take bold action. Others contending for the position of prime minister may declare themselves equally up to the task but have not had opportunity to prove themselves.
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As many of my readers have likely observed, until now I have not been discussing the Israeli election campaign. From my perspective, the campaign (the campaign, not the outcome) was an “in-house” affair. What I have been doing is discussing issues that are of primary concern, and these, of course, play into the campaign. But the situation has shifted now, and we are headed rapidly towards election day.
As to the positions of various parties, there is considerable confusion – such that it can make one’s head spin. Because there is insufficient clarity, I have encountered individuals whom I have considered politically savvy, who, surprisingly, still tell me a week before the election that they are not sure who to vote for.
Of course there are promises made by the heads of parties that will not necessarily be honored (hardly a surprise), and accusations leveled by one party against another that may not have validity. In addition to which, there is overlap between the positions of parties. How could there not be, with so many parties?
publicdomainvectors.org
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Polls are coming out on a daily basis; they are fairly worthless because there is no consistency. The projected outcome varies with the political orientation of the organizations running the poll.
As I write, it remains exceedingly difficult to predict how this election will play out.
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There are 120 seats in the Knesset. Five parties are in the current coalition; in total fewer than 15 parties or factions sit in the Knesset. Thirty-seven parties are now running; each party was required to submit a list of those running under its banner, but citizens vote for the parties, not individuals.
There are those who may see the multiplicity of parties as evidence of a vigorous democracy. I see it as potentially destructive to democratic process because the majority of the parties running will not pass the 3.25% threshold. This means the votes of those who voted for these parties will be lost – will not be tallied into final results. It is a perennial frustration. The final results will not represent the will of the voting electorate, but rather the will of the portion of the electorate that voted for parties that passed the threshold.
It may happen, for example, that a party of some significant substance is projected as being just short of passing the threshold, while a small party with similar goals and values – and supported by people with a similar political orientation – is projected as being quite unlikely to pass the threshold. If that small party withdraws before the election, it might enable the larger party to secure sufficient additional votes to pass the threshold.
And indeed, sometimes a party does withdraw. This just happened yesterday: Benny Gantz, head of the Blue & White party, announced his withdrawal in spite of previous pledges to see the campaign to the end. Polls indicated that he was going to fall short of the threshold and he said he didn’t want to see votes wasted.
I hadn’t been planning to vote for Gantz, nor was I ever excited about his positions. But I salute him as a man of integrity, willing to put the nation before his self-interest.
Yariv Katz
Quite frequently, however, the leaders of parties not showing well in the polls hold out to continue campaigning. This may be because of hope of a last-minute turn around, or ego (they know better than anyone else). Sometimes they wish to make a particular political statement, and campaigning allows them to do this, or they hope to bring their party’s platform into public consciousness for the future.
Eyes today are on Ofer Winter, a retired IDF general and head of the new, right-wing People of Israel (“Amcha Yisrael”) party. On this list is Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, former deputy mayor of Jerusalem. Polls indicate the party will not make it past the threshold, but Winter refuses to pull out, in spite of pressure from the right, which worries about losing votes in a close election.
JFeed
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Sometimes two parties merge for the election, to guarantee sufficient votes to pass the threshold, and then separate after the election. This is true with regard to the Religious Zionist Party, headed by Bezalel Smotrich (pictured), which has joined for the election with Moshe Feiglin’s “Zehut” (Identity) party.
Simcha Rothman, Knesset member and chair of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, is on the Religious Zionist list, as is Tzvika Mor, father of a former Gaza hostage and head of the Tikva Forum.
Haaretz
Also merging are the parties of Naftali Bennett (creatively entitled Bennet 2026) and “Yesh Atid” (There is a Future), headed by Yair Lapid. They are running under the name “Beyachad” (Together) This is a permanent union and does not represent the first time the two have run together.
There are those intending to vote for Bennett now for whom his party represents a fresh start because of new people included on the list – there is definitely hunger in the country for new faces. I, however, would not vote for either of these men to be dog catcher.
The two had a very brief successful run in 2021, when they managed to cobble together a coalition with the understanding that Bennett would fill the role of prime minister first, followed by Lapid. However, while Bennet campaigned as a right-wing candidate in 2021, he ultimately formed a coalition with left-wing Lapid and Mansour Abbas, the Arab Israeli head of the Ra’am party. This was Bennett’s path to being prime minister, a path that betrayed his voters.
Back then, there were those who celebrated the inclusion of an Arab in Bennet’s coalition as an advance in our democracy. And so let me be very clear on this point: I would not oppose an Israeli Arab from participating in a government coalition if he or she were Zionist (i.e., supported Israel as the Jewish state). But there are no Zionist Arabs in the Knesset. Abbas made a statement not long ago, indicating that Israeli Arabs are forced to accept Israel as a Jewish state in order to be involved in participation in the Knesset. This, he declared is not a position his party would embrace voluntarily: he practices dissimulation for political purposes.
I knew back in 2021 that the Ra’am party which Abbas heads acts for the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, which has Muslim Brotherhood associations. Bennet and Lapid did not know?? Or did not care?? In 2024, a charity linked with Ra’am was found to be sending large sums to Hamas.
The foolish actions of Lapid, a leftist, during the short time he served as acting prime minister I will save for another day.
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As I have been discussing parties that run together, I will mention here that there are three Arab parties – Hadash, Ta’al, Balad – that are running together as the Joint List. Ra’am is running independently.
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We can roughly divide the most prominent contenders into several ideological groups.
There is the right:
Likud, with Netanyahu at its helm; Religious Zionists, headed by Smotrich; and Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Strength) chaired by a tough Itamar Ben-Gvir.
It is interesting that Ben-Gvir, whose in-your-face style irritates some, is actually doing well in the polls. Many, tired of tip-toeing, like his style. Smotrich, who works more quietly, has done much that benefits Israel with a minimum of publicity.
There are centrist or moderate parties:
Yashar! is a new party headed by Gadi Eisenkot (pictured), a former IDF chief of staff who lost a son in battle in Gaza. He is seen as the primary challenge to Netanyahu, and there are those who predict a unity arrangement between Likud and Yashar! if a coalition cannot be formed otherwise.
YouTube
“Yisrael Beitenu” (Israel Our Home), headed by Avigdor Leiberman, has been around for years; Lieberman has served in a number of government positions but has demonstrated erratic behavior in my opinion. This party – which originally was founded to appeal to Russian olim – has a staunch right-wing stance on security matters but is broadly secular in its appeal.
And I mention here The Reservists (“HaMiluimnikim”) a new centrist-right party led by former minister Yoaz Hendel. This party represents a hope for bringing in new blood to the Knesset. The significant point here is that there are people on this list who have been forged in their strength and attitudes by their service to the country. Among those on the list is Shlomi Damari, a reserve battalion commander who lost a brother at the Nova Music Festival. Apparently this party has a reasonable chance of passing the threshold.
There are the ultra-Orthodox parties:
Shas, which is Sephardi. Aryeh Deri is political head, but the party takes direction from its rabbis.
United Torah Judaism, which is Ashkenazi, consists of two factions, Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaTorah. Long-time UTJ head Moshe Gafni has been replaced by Ya’akov Asher. Similarly here there is significant rabbinical input.
These parties are at the heart of one of the most contentious issues in the current election – the necessity for young ultra-Orthodox men who are not full-time yeshiva students to serve in the IDF, which to a consider degree they do not.
There is a new party, the Haredi Public Party (“HaTzibbur HaCharedi”) that was founded and is led by Beit Shemesh Deputy Mayor Moti Leitner.
YouTube
He himself has served and the party advocates military service for the ultra-Orthodox who are not studying full-time. While it should be broadly celebrated for this position, the party is not doing well in the polls.
Lastly here, The Democrats, a far-left merger of the old Labor and Meretz parties and currently headed by Yair Golan. I believe Golan, because of his deplorable statements that are destructive to Israel, has no place in the Knesset. It is questionable as to whether he will make it.
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And here I will leave you, my friends.
You can see a list of all 37 parties that are running here:
The election is exceedingly consequential for Israel.
With it all we are laboring under the cloud of warnings that Iran might attack before the election to create instability. All IDF soldiers will be ordered to remain on their bases, prepared to act, beginning before the end of this week.
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I hope to return before the election to review key issues.
Please, pray for the safety of Israel and for an election that will bring us blessings.
©Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
