Election Rhetoric: Analyst tracks pattern of historic claims

Election coverage in Israel frequently labels upcoming votes as the most important in the country's history. Danny Kushmaro, a prominent commentator, notes that this specific refrain has become standard practice during the current campaign cycle.

Kushmaro observes that one in five Israeli election campaigns have described their specific ballot as the most fateful. He argues that this recurring narrative turns standard political competition into an existential conflict. By framing the contest between pro-Netanyahu and anti-Netanyahu blocs as a matter of national survival, the rhetoric makes it difficult for the losing side to view defeat as a temporary setback.

The analyst suggests that this language creates friction for democratic transitions. When an election is framed as the ultimate test of the state, accepting an unfavorable outcome becomes harder for voters who feel their side's survival is at stake. Kushmaro cautions against assuming the current vote carries more weight than previous contests.

Since Naftali Bennett formed his government in 2021, Israel has faced challenges in accepting electoral results. Before the Bennett government was even sworn in, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described its formation as the greatest election fraud in history. Although Netanyahu referred to broken campaign promises rather than stolen ballots, the statement cast the new administration as illegitimate.

The opposition subsequently worked to topple the Bennett coalition. Likud MK Miri Regev defended voting against legislation that benefited soldiers and vulnerable groups. Recordings from May 2022 show Regev arguing that the primary objective was to weaken the government. The government spent much of its brief tenure fighting to maintain its slim majority.

After Netanyahu won the 2022 election and formed a hard-right cabinet, the dynamic reversed. Yair Lapid conceded the vote and organized an orderly handover. However, during the judicial overhaul protests, language of illegitimacy resurfaced. Former Shin Bet director Yuval Diskin stated at a demonstration in Tel Aviv in April 2023 that the government was morally illegitimate despite being elected legally.

Kushmaro's analysis aims to provide perspective before Tuesday's election. He emphasizes that while every campaign claims historic stakes, the current vote fits a long-standing pattern of high-stakes rhetoric in Israeli politics.