1996 scenario: can Netanyahu win on old fears
Ynet columnist Nave Dromi compares the 2026 election landscape to the 1996 elections that followed the assassination of Rabin. The author suggests that fear for security, rather than the October 7 tragedy itself, may become the decisive factor, as it was then. He notes that the political landscape has barely changed, and voters are rejecting new faces not linked to the failures.
Ynet columnist Nave Dromi on Tuesday, October 6, draws a parallel between the pre-election situation of 2026 and the 1996 elections that took place after the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The author argues that despite the October 7 tragedy, the political landscape remains the same: the same officials responsible for the concept that led to the failure are participating in the elections. Dromi notes that voters are rejecting new faces, such as Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstein, who are not linked to the failures. The author's key thesis: the decisive factor in the elections will not be the tragedy itself, but fear for life, as it was in 1996 when Benjamin Netanyahu won. Dromi suggests that the left, while blaming Netanyahu for the concept that led to the massacre, themselves sinned with the same concept. He concludes that if the outcome of these elections resembles 1996, the consequences could be unpredictable.