Tens of thousands marched in Tel Aviv last night demanding Benjamin Netanyahu's government answer for the failures that led to the October 7 terror attacks. "We cannot be a dictatorship!" said one woman. "And we cannot have these criminals running our country." Tuesday will be the first parliamentary elections since the attacks.
Thirty-nine parties are running, but essentially one man is on the ballot: Netanyahu. Over three decades, Netanyahu (known here as Bibi) has dominated Israeli politics. And in a market outside Tel Aviv, opinions about the prime minister are as varied as the offerings here.
Asked whom he will vote for, restaurant owner Benny Abraham replied, "Likud and Bibi Netanyahu." "Bibi can handle the whole world," Abraham said. The world loves him." He added affectionately, "He's the king of Israel." Many others, like Liat and her husband Sharon, could be lumped into the "Anyone but Bibi" camp. "I don't hate him, OK, I think he did the good things to Israel, but no more," said Liat.
Sharon described Netanyahu as "more or less, very good politician, but not a [good manager]." The divide on Netanyhu stems from controversial changes sidelining the country's judiciary; an ongoing trial on corruption charges; and allegations he failed to heed prior warnings about October 7. While some people says they feel Netanyahu protects Israel, 80-year-old Margalit Moses told us she does not feel the prime minister protect her. Moses was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th.
Nearly a third of the residents of her kibbutz, Nir Oz, were killed or captured. October 7th moved many Israelis further to the right – but Moses. "I hope people will understand that we have to change the government so the new government will be more middle, or a little bit left," she said.
"We'll change the mind in Israel about the Arabs. If we can make peace with them and live in peace with them, it's, for me, very important." Netanyahu's campaign has framed these elections as existential for Israelis. In an intersection less than a mile from the Gaza Strip, political posters read "Right or Palestine," with members of the opposition parties depicted on the left.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
