Israel is approaching elections in a new era. There aren’t many new faces |
There was a strong sense that the election would be pivotal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had held power for too long, his opponents said, asserting that he had lost touch with the mainstream voter and cared more about his own political fortunes than the national interest. Netanyahu’s camp countered that he was still indispensable as a leader, especially when compared with his milquetoast opponents, and that choosing anyone else would be reckless in the face of the threats menacing Israel.
For many voters, the cast of characters in the mix — Netanyahu, Isaac Herzog, Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid, Aryeh Deri, Avigdor Liberman — did not inspire confidence. Polls were inconclusive. The election, it seemed, could go either way.
Welcome to 2015.
Netanyahu ended up decisively winning that election and has remained prime minister for nearly all of the time since. This year, he will face the voters yet again.
In the intervening 11 years, and especially since October 7, 2023, the situation in Israel has changed drastically. The country’s social contract, its democratic norms, its regional context, its alliances and even its borders have all shifted or are in flux.
And yet, voters could be forgiven for feeling a queasy sense of deja vu. That’s because, heading into the 2026 election, many of the candidates who ran in 2015 or even earlier are still there. Even though Israel is contending with a new reality, only a smattering of new faces have joined its political scene or are promising a fresh start.
Netanyahu, of course, is still prime minister. The hawkish Bennett, who used to be firmly in Netanyahu’s camp but has consistently locked horns with the premier, is now his most credible threat.
Herzog left the political arena but is hardly out of the scene. As president, he’s responsible, once the election votes are in, for........