The Opposition Is Campaigning to Keep Netanyahu in Power

There is no reasonable explanation for the poor campaigns they are running. They are convincing no one.

The main things they are doing, as far as one can see from social media and the mainstream media are:

• Attacking Netanyahu, mostly over October 7.
• Reacting to and condemning comments, videos, and other statements by right-wing politicians.

That is it.

Have you ever met anyone who changed their opinion because of condemnations? How is that a coherent campaign?

The only opposition figure who is actually running a coherent and effective campaign is Avigdor Liberman. He has consistently maintained the same line for the past three years: “I told you so” and “I warned Netanyahu.” And it will pay off for him.

The facts are that demographics are working against the left. The growing population groups are the Haredi and national-religious communities, and they are overwhelmingly right-leaning. This is well documented, and there is no need to elaborate on it here.

Moreover, research shows (the work of Daniel Kahneman for instance) that people tend to have a bias toward hawkish positions, especially during periods of instability and conflict. Therefore, there is little to no chance of persuading voters to move away from right-wing parties on security issues. In practice, the chance is close to zero.

It is also very difficult to convince people that someone else can do a better job on security than the current prime minister (not necessarily Netanyahu, but whoever happens to be in office).

Yet, despite this reality, this is what the opposition keeps focusing on.

The weak spot of governments everywhere, and especially of the Likud party and its supporters traditionally is personal economic hardship.

James Carville, Bill Clinton’s adviser, famously said: “It’s the economy, stupid.” The same applies here and everywhere.

Israelis are struggling to make ends meet. Many are carrying substantial debts. Everyone goes to the supermarket and cannot leave without spending at least NIS 500 or can buy only half a shopping cart with the same NIS 500 that would have filled an entire cart three years ago. Israelis are also paying around NIS 8 per liter of gasoline and so on.

You will not see the full picture in the official data released by the Israeli Bureau of Statistics, is it is controlled tightly – because the public would be furious. There is no way that the cost of living has risen by only 2.1% so far in 2026, and only 11.7% since January 2023.

Just look at the prices of fruit and vegetables. They doubled. 

A smart campaign would focus constantly on Israelis’ personal finances.

Go shopping in a supermarket. Fill up at a gas station. Show the price of cucumbers today compared with three years ago. Speak to elderly people who have to choose between medication and food. There are endless ways to make this point.

Attack, attack, attack. Not react, react, react some more. 

But not one of the four main opposition parties is focusing on this issue.

So, as I wrote in my previous column, as things stand, Netanyahu does not even need a war to keep right-wing voters in the camp he leads. Under the current circumstances, even the worst-case scenario for him, which he would be very happy with, is another round of elections in about five months.