The Israeli election is just three days away– will Netanyahu remain in power and become the longest serving Israeli leader?
“Face the Nation” moderator and CBS News Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent Margaret Brennan with five things you need to know.
ONE: NETANYAHU WILL LIKELY WIN
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a number of challenges – including potential bribery, corruption and breach of trust charges that could carry a decade-long prison sentence.
But he remains popular.
Israelis are largely single-issue voters, the biggest being security.
Netanyahu, who appointed himself defense minister in 2017, is viewed as reliably strong on security in a rough neighborhood.
If re-elected, he’d be the longest serving Israeli leader since founding father Ben Gurion.
TWO: THE OPPOSITION IS WEAK
Netanyahu’s main rival is a former military chief, Benny Gantz.
His party has leaned on framing Netanyahu as corrupt and in power for too long.
But he’s campaigned on nationalist issues similar to Netanyahu’s platform, such as demanding international law be sidestepped in order to recognize Israel’s claim to the disputed Golan Heights and Jerusalem.
Netanyahu’s friendship with Trump already helped him deliver US backing on both those claims.
Gantz has also never been a politician, allowing Netanyahu to frame him as inexperienced and a comparative unknown on the world stage.
THREE: PLAYING TO THE BASE
Similar to President Trump, Netanyahu has branded charges against him a ‘witch hunt,’ a ‘left-wing conspiracy’ and ‘fake news,’ to pander to his conservative base.
His party has gone as far as suggesting Gantz is mentally unstable.
He’s also known to play off racial politics. When Israelis headed to the polls in 2015, he broadcasted a message on the day claiming Israeli-Arab voters are coming out ‘in droves,’ so Jewish citizens must get out and vote for him quick.
FOUR: FORMING A COALITION
The winner must secure a coalition of 61 out of 120 parliamentary seats to form a government.
Gantz’s party is rivalling in the polls, but even if he wins he’ll struggle to gain other partners.
A majority of Right-wing parties have already said they’ll only join Netanyahu.
FIVE: WHAT’S NEXT FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE?
Netanyahu’s coalition may include the likes of Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, who believe the Palestinians cannot be allowed to have anything resembling a state.
While the Trump Administration hopes Netanyahu’s tough-on-defense reputation will allow him the political wiggle room to make some concessions– with his hands tied to a Right-wing coalition, he may struggle to get his government to agree to anything in Jared Kushner’s pending Middle East peace plan.
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