Elections '96 redux?

An opinion piece examining the similarities between the upcoming elections in Israel and the 1996 elections, focusing on the impact of the October 7 massacre on public opinion. The author argues that the main political players remain the same figures who were responsible for the concept that led to the massacre, and that voters' fear for their personal security may tip the scales, similar to the elections following Rabin's assassination.

An opinion piece by Nave Dromi on ynet examines the disturbing similarity between the upcoming elections in Israel and the 1996 elections, which took place after the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The author argues that three years after the October 7 massacre, the main political players on the field are the same figures who were responsible for the concept that led to the disaster: Benjamin Netanyahu, Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid, and Avigdor Lieberman. According to him, new initiatives like those of Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstein have failed, and candidates like Col. (res.) Ofer Winter are hovering around the electoral threshold. The author compares voters' fear for their personal security as the decisive factor, similar to the 1996 elections, when Netanyahu defeated Shimon Peres despite the assassination. He notes that the left struggles to accept the possibility that Netanyahu might win again, and that the chasm that has opened between Rabin's left and the left of today is a result of that same unbearable blow. The article ends with an open question about the possible implications of a similar outcome in the upcoming elections.

Elections '96 redux?