There was only one reason for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s surprise visit to the Mahane Yehuda souk in Jerusalem on March 9. Although the market is traditionally viewed as one of the Likud’s strongholds, many veteran Likudniks have abandoned their home base for Moshe Kahlon’s Kulanu Party. Netanyahu’s visit was aimed at bringing these voters back into the fold.
Six years have passed since Netanyahu last paid a visit to the souk, when he was chairman of the opposition. Now, in the final sprint of the difficult race for his fourth premiership term, Netanyahu returned to the role of eager suitor over what was supposed to be the base of the Likud electorate. Armed with Knesset member Miri Regev — Netanyahu’s bargaining chip for wooing traditional Mizrahi populations — the prime minister attempted to garner votes that in the not-so-distant-past were viewed as a done deal. These are voters who, once upon a time, could be counted on to cast their votes for the Likud at the moment of truth at the ballot box, even when they were perhaps angry at the party.
