Minutes after the last standing ovation in Congress subsided, Israels politicians were trying to grab back the narrative of a local election campaign that had been hijackedby Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 9,500 kilometers away in Washington, D.C.
In Jerusalems downtown Mikes Place bar, Zionist Unions candidate for finance minister, Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg, was engaged in earnest conversation with about 20 young voters on banking controls and housing policy.
It was the sort of campaign event that rarely features in the media one that dealt with the actual details of issues impacting on Israelis lives. The white-haired Trajtenberg, a newcomer to politics, seems to have quickly adapted to his new environment, compressing a complex economic issue into sound bites.
He tried to avoid referring to Netanyahus speech, but just before he left, he said,Enough of this fearmongering. We have a real crisis in housing now, which is affecting our real lives.
Outside, someone suggested to him that Zionist Union would have done better to invite the television cameras to his meeting than to party leader Isaac Herzogs lackluster speech at the Gaza border.
Herzog, looking pale and slightly out of breath in a small hall with bad acoustics, could not have done more to highlight the contrast between a global statesman holding the worlds attention for a nearly hour-long speech at the most prestigious venue, and a local politician.
The painful truth is that behind the applause, Netanyahu remains alone, said Herzog. Israel remains isolated and the talks with Iran continue without any Israeli involvement.
He was right, but the lingering impression was of a lonely and forlorn Herzog. It was an unfair match, and a stark reminder that Netanyahus strategy of fighting this election over the issue on which the Israeli public still view him favorably seems to be working.
Likuds campaign had a couple of dismal weeks with the state comptrollers reports on the misuse of the prime ministers official residence budget and the ongoing failure of successive governments to deal with the housing crisis.
In the polls, a small gap opened in Herzogs favor. But the trip to Washington blew the plan to hold Netanyahu accountable for his domestic failings out of the water. With 12 days of campaigning left, what can Zionist Union and the other parties challenging Likud do to grab back the narrative and reclaim the agenda?
Bennett, Dery: If you can't beat him, join him
Two of Likuds natural partners are not even trying any more. Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett joined Netanyahu in Washington and has done everything possible to prove himself a mini-Bibi. Shas chairman Arye Dery on Tuesday night abandoned his partys policy of not recommending a candidate until after the elections and announced at the partys largest campaign rally, Mr. Prime Minister, we want to be with you and we want you to be prime minister.
Bennett and Dery are both aware that many of their potential voters are essentially Likudniks, and to keep them from voting for Netanyahus party, they are reduced to embracing him and promising that, no matter what, they will support him as prime minister.
For the other parties trying to present themselves as alternatives to Likud and appeal to voters who would like to replace Netanyahu, the question is how to move the discussion forward.
The two comptrollers reports are already old news, other domestic issues such as overcrowding in hospitals, which Herzog and his party colleagues tried to play up yesterday, are difficult to politicize and besides, the health minister in the last government was Yesh Atid's Yael German, so it will be difficult to pin this problem on the prime minister.
If the polls this weekend show that the speech had no effect on the electorate, Netanyahu will be in trouble. But all he needs is about 30,000 Likudniks who were planning to vote for Moshe Kahlons Kulanu party and a similar number who were thinking of voting for Habayit Hayehudi to return home, and he will be in pole position again. What else can be done in 10 days for Likuds rivals to regain momentum?
Of course, Iran could be a double-edged sword for Netanyahu. If, despite his efforts, a deal is signed before Israelis go to the polls, his opponents will be in a position to accuse him of damaging relations with the United States with nothing to show in return. But while some Western diplomats (not all) believe an agreement is imminent, it is highly unlikely to be signed before the deadline at the end of the month. Netanyahus rivals just want Iran to disappear for the next 10 days.
Next week the last full one of the campaign Zionist Union, Kulanu and Yesh Atid will all fire off their last salvos before Election Day organization becomes the name of the game.
They have no idea how to take hold of the agenda. At this stage, they are undecided even whether to target Netanyahu or each other.
Source: http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel-election-2015/.premium-1.645359
