Nothing Splits Israel Like Netanyahu
The September vote is all about the prime minister and the corruption allegations he faces.
Netanyahu posters in the West Bank town of Hebron.
Photographer: Hazem Bader/AFP via Getty Images
Judging from the ads, you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s just a single issue on the ballot for Israel’s Sept. 17 election: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Benny Gantz, a former military chief who leads the Blue and White bloc, has released a spot showing the prime minister in a submarine with the words “fraud” and “bribery” and bags of money floating past the porthole.
Ehud Barak, who headed the government from 1999 to 2001, in July unveiled a video filmed in a Tel Aviv falafel joint. As customers queue at the counter, he pulls out his credit card and pays for their sandwiches—a jab at Netanayhu, who has been accused of corruption and accepting expensive gifts.