30 years later: The night we went to sleep with Peres and woke up with Netanyahu

30 years after the 1996 elections, a special N12 project examines how Israeli politics has changed since the dramatic night when Shimon Peres lost to Benjamin Netanyahu. The article covers the aggressive campaign, the sectoral split, the role of Shas and the Haredim, and the shift from ideological debate to emotional polarization that turned the blocs into fortified tribes.

30 years after the 1996 elections, a special N12 project revisits the night we went to sleep with Peres and woke up with Netanyahu. The article reviews how Netanyahu's aggressive campaign, based on a division between 'Jews' and 'Israelis', changed the face of politics. Alongside the exploding buses during the wave of attacks after the Oslo Accords, the polls shifted and Netanyahu closed the gap. Shas, under Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, maintained public neutrality but behind the scenes supported Peres. The Ashkenazi Haredim, on the other hand, supported Netanyahu. The article examines how the blocs became fortified tribes, and how ideological debate gave way to emotional polarization.