Israeli elections: Where is the economy?
Contrary to previous election campaigns, which focused on the dire economic situation, the main themes of the current campaign are the scandals surrounding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and questions about Blue and White head Benny Gantz’s personality.
After two elections (2013 and 2015) in which economic issues were a central feature of the various parties’ campaigns, the current April 2019 election makes very little mention of economics. This time, the topics on the public agenda are completely different and include the various scandals involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the ability of Blue and White head Benny Gantz to lead the country, and more recently, the conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
The 2013 election took place with the socioeconomic protests — which erupted in Israel just a year and a half earlier (the social justice demonstrations of summer 2011) — still looming in the background. This brought issues like housing and the cost of living to the forefront. Yair Lapid, then a popular television host, decided to ride the wave and created a party called Yesh Atid, much like his father Tommy Lapid, who headed the centrist Shinui party from 1999 to 2006. The younger Lapid’s election slogan was “Where’s the money?” He ended up winning 19 seats, an excellent outcome for a new party, and was appointed finance minister.
The economy was once again a major issue in the 2015 election. This, time, however, the person to benefit most from it was Moshe Kahlon, a former minister, who left the Likud to form his own party, Kulanu. His party’s only message was socioeconomic. It won him 10 seats, an achievement that earned him the position of finance minister for the past four and a half years.
In contrast, the economy is not a major issue in the current election. In fact, almost anyone identified with socioeconomic issues suffers in the polls. So, for instance, Kahlon’s party has dropped in the polls and is now hovering on the electoral threshold. In response to a question by Al-Monitor, Kahlon explained that his electoral strength suffered as a result of the struggle between the two major parties (Likud and Blue and White). He tried to win back those lost votes by announcing a plan to provide free education starting at the age of 1 and another program to help the elderly, but so far none of this has had any real success in boosting his standing.
