Benjamin Netanyahu: My Rivals Will Win the Elections

Two days before the Israeli parliamentary elections, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, assessed that his rival would win the elections. According to the Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu, who has been the leader of the ruling Likud party for the past ten years, said on Sunday, April 7, that Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid would win the elections. The Israeli parliamentary elections are scheduled for Tuesday, April 9. Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid are the leaders of the coalition known as 'Blue and White'; this coalition was formed two months ago from a newly established party alliance called 'Israel Resilience' and the 'Future' party (Yesh Atid), quickly becoming a powerful rival to the ruling Likud party. The latest pre-election polls published on April 5 indicated a tie in the number of seats between Likud and the Blue and White coalition or a slight lead for the coalition over Likud. However, further polling is prohibited until election day. Despite Netanyahu stating that the rival coalition would win the elections, many analysts in Israeli media emphasize that this statement is a tactic by him to draw more Likud and right-wing supporters to the polls. These analysts recall that Netanyahu encouraged right-wing supporters in the last elections four years ago by saying, 'The Arabs are going to the polls in buses,' urging them to change the results of polls that were not favorable to Likud in the actual voting. Benjamin Netanyahu, who had hardly given interviews to Israeli media during his first ten years in office, has recently been a guest on various radio and television programs in an unprecedented manner to tell right-wing supporters in Israel that if he does not win the elections, the country 'will fall into the hands of leftists and Arabs.' In a Sunday evening interview with Channel 13 of Israeli television, Netanyahu expressed concern that if the Blue and White coalition gained more seats, 'one or two right-wing and religious parties might also be willing to form the next government with them.' In this interview, he said, 'It is madness for Gantz and Lapid to be in charge of the government while I become the opposition leader?' It seems that throughout Netanyahu's long political career in Israel, this is the first time he has expressed doubt about his political future. On the other hand, in Israel, the leader of the party that wins more seats does not necessarily become the Prime Minister; rather, the leader of the stronger bloc assumes this position. All evidence suggests that the right-wing bloc, which is Netanyahu's natural support base, still holds the majority, and therefore, Netanyahu's chances of forming a government are higher. Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid strongly rejected Netanyahu's descriptions of them as inexperienced, stating that when Netanyahu first became Prime Minister in the 1990s, he had only experience as a representative at the United Nations. Benny Gantz emphasized that he was the Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, and Lapid referred to his long political experience, including his time as Minister of Finance. Reserve General Gantz, who is more popular in central and secular areas of Israel, emphasized on Sunday while leading a long convoy of motorcyclists in Tel Aviv encouraging people to vote for his coalition that 'election day is a historic opportunity for the country to have worthy leadership that does not bring anyone or any organization to serve itself.' Meanwhile, right-wing parties, which have been Netanyahu's natural allies for the past decade, have complained that he has drawn their supporters to vote for Likud through various tactics. At the same time, leaders of right-wing parties and supporters of this bloc in Israeli public opinion have been pleased with Netanyahu's statements regarding the annexation of the West Bank to Israeli territory. Netanyahu swore in an interview with Channel 12 of Israeli television on Saturday evening that if he wins the elections, he will annex the West Bank; these statements have met with strong reactions from Palestinians and Arab Israelis. Centrist and leftist parties in Israel have also stated that these remarks indicate Netanyahu's lack of commitment to peace and the two-state solution. Labor and Meretz parties have mobilized to defeat Netanyahu, but all evidence suggests that their power in the next Knesset will be weaker than before. While Arab politicians living within Israel have expressed readiness to participate in the elections under the umbrella of multiple parties, all reports indicate that the general Arab public does not have a strong urge to go to the polls. The so-called Jewish Nation-State Law, which Netanyahu passed in the Knesset last year, emphasizes that Israel is a country 'exclusively' for Jews; Arabs claim that this law has effectively turned them into second-class citizens.