In the end, for all his global posturing, it may be political missteps at home that unravel Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's re-election campaign. According to Noga Tarnopolsky at Reuters, Netanyahu's sense of entitlement and tunnel-vision rhetoric on Iran have his Likud Party struggling in recent polls against the center-left opposition Zionist Union for control of the Knesset in this year's March 17th election:
His numbers took a hit after Netanyahu was served with a damning report in which Israel’s state comptroller slammed him for excessive expenditure of public funds at his official residence. The report, which was in the works before elections were announced, has been turned over to the attorney general for investigation of possible criminality.
Additionally, a damaging comptrollers report on housing issued Wednesday put the current government on the defensive, prompting Netanyahu – who has mostly shunned the Israeli domestic press even as he has courted the American media – to a rhetorical stumble at a critical moment before the election.
Netanyahu’s response to the stinging critique was to avoid the issue entirely, instead striking his campaign’s singular note, Iran: “When we talk about housing costs and cost of living, I never forget life itself. The biggest challenge of our lives is preventing Iran from going nuclear.”
Batya Giladi, an Israeli blogger, retorted “Tomorrow, when the bank manager calls, I will very politely tell her that I don’t forget life itself and the real dangers we face: Iran.”
The formerly-powerful Netanyahu political machine has lost a lot of polish in recent years, and in light of recent developments at home, Netanyahu's Republican-sponsored arm-waving on Tuesday may be seen as more of a desperation move to shore up his electoral prospects at home, than a policy appeal delivered from a position of strength.
Israelis appear to be sick and tired of the whole song and dance, and even operatives from Netanyahu’s own party, Likud, are starting to vent their frustration. Atilla Somfalvi, a reporter for Israel’s Channel 10 news, disclosed that a “senior Likud official” had told him the election “is headed in the wrong direction.” Netanyahu has refused to engage with the press since early January.
Is it possible we'll actually be witnessing Bibi's political swan song on Tuesday? It's looking more and more like Israeli voters might be ready for a new government in 2015.
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