Voting here is comparable to the UK like improvisational theatre corresponds to a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, Daniel Sugarman writes from Tel Aviv
April 11, 2019 10:46
“The Right is in a perilous situation!” it read, showing a graph that claimed “polling at 4pm” showed that 61 per cent of voters were backing “the Left” and just 42 per cent were favouring Likud.
“Go and vote now!” the Israeli Prime Minister urged his supporters. Eagle-eyed readers will have spotted that it is difficult to poll an electorate of 103 per cent.
Welcome to elections in Israel, which are comparable to the UK’s in the same way that improvisational theatre corresponds to a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta. At the most basic of levels, there are similarities; beyond that, things couldn’t be more different.
Here is a brief selection of what the 2019 cycle entailed. We had a former IDF chief of staff, whose new party was polling strongly despite — or perhaps because of — his lack of political statements, deciding to form a last-minute alliance with two other parties.
We had one politician mock up a perfume ad poking fun at those accusing her of being a fascist. We had a religious party putting up posters that essential promised a place in heaven to those who voted for their ticket.
Fast-forward to election day itself, and we had the prime minister appearing on the beach to tell people to stop sunning themselves and vote. And we had members of his party appearing to admit they employed some 1,200 people with hidden cameras to monitor voting “irregularities” in Arab polling stations.
צאו להצביע עכשיו! pic.twitter.com/3S9j7vNH7A
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) April 9, 2019
The Israeli public does not have a reputation for reticence, and, as I made my way around Tel Aviv yesterday, it was not difficult to find people who wanted to speak.
There was the man who told me that I did not live in London, but in “Londonistan”. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, he was voting for an extreme right wing party, deeming Bibi “too left.”
Another told me that he would not vote for the Blue & White coalition, despite his respect for three of its leaders who are former generals — because of the fourth, Yair Lapid.
“Lapid is a journalist,” he said, indicating that I should not take offence. “He will say anything to anyone. A good politician manipulates you but doesn’t make you feel like you’re being manipulated. Lapid is too obvious.”
The fact that Mr Netanyahu is facing corruption charges was hardly remarked upon, except for one man whose take on the situation was that “the media in this country seems to have forgotten the concept of innocent until proven guilty”.
But even if the newly politically rejuvenated Bibi does end up in prison, he would hardly be the first Israeli politician in that position.
I had a conversation where people joked about whether he would occupy the Prime Ministerial Suite at Ramle’s Ma’asiyahu prison or whether he would demand the Presidential Suite instead.
“At least though, when they are found guilty, they are actually sent to prison,” one person said.
“That tells me that there’s some hope for our system.”
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