ISRAEL: Military campaign in Gaza, political campaign in Israel
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Two weeks ago, Israel was deep into the political campaign ahead of the general elections slated for next month. As agendas sharpened, so did the candidates and their slogans. Politicians and media were mostly discussing whose campaign was coolest, which was trendiest, who had the snazziest graphics, who was ripping off whom and whether Web 2.0 was must or bust.
Then Israel launched the operation in Gaza, and everyone switched from political war to real war. The three main candidates announced the suspension of their campaigns, and stateliness, unity and mutual support reigned supreme. Tzipi Livni and Ehud Barak still look down at Israelis from the same billboards posted before the operation began. Likud has updated its billboard (pictured) with a timely message of patriotic support (which also gave their brand name a plug): ‘Strong together.’
Israel doesn’t multitask well. Public attention works total-immersion style, one emergency at a time. And pretty soon, voices advocating postponement of the elections were piping up. But elections in Israel are even more frequent than wars and assorted security ‘situations,’’ and, statistically, it’s only a matter of time until the two coincide, so it’s hard to find an extended period when Israel isn’t involved in one or another. The only time elections were postponed in Israel was in 1973, when they were delayed by two months during the Yom Kippur War. The procedure is cumbersome but doable.
Political scientists warn that postponing elections during war constitutes a dangerous precedent that could allow political considerations to affect professional judgment on security matters in the future, even subconsciously. The large factions in Israel’s parliament have agreed formally that elections shouldn’t be postponed, if only to deny Hamas the satisfaction. But the dignified, united front is beginning to crack, and the political campaign is regaining momentum backstage. Politicians are keeping an eye on the polls to learn who’s benefiting and who’s losing from the operation in Gaza, cross-referencing the numbers with voices in support of postponing elections and those against it, putting two and two together. Barak is up, Livni same-to-down, and Bibi is still ahead of ‘em both. With elections only 29 days away, the candidates are soon going to be falling off that unity wagon.
On the face of it, if the operation is considered a success, it will be attributed to Barak. A perceived failure will stick to Livni. And Bibi Netanyahu, who was already in the lead anyway, may benefit if security issues continue to dominate the public agenda. When the operation began, the campaign was just beginning to get interesting, with Netanyahu retaliating against Livni’s negative campaign with one of his own. Early on, Bibi joined the front lines of Israel’s PR efforts at the personal request of Prime Minister Olmert, giving 15 interviews a day to the foreign press. Appreciated even by political rivals, his articulation and radio-phonic voice have chained Netanyahu to the front of the unity wagon, so the mascot can’t really openly criticize his political rivals, whose policies he is explaining throughout the world. But there’s a Hebrew saying, attributed to ancient Jewish sages: The work of the righteous is done by others.
29 days and counting...
-- Batsheva Sobelman
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