Israel must resist election economics, vote buying ahead of October 27 - editorial

As Israel enters the final month before the October 27 election, the Jerusalem Post editorial warns against vote-buying through public spending while cautioning critics not to label every government decision electioneering. The piece examines the tension between legitimate governance and electioneering, citing Finance Minister Smotrich's NIS 2.4 billion package for West Bank settlements as a potential vote-buying move, and the attorney-general's delay of the E1 tender over similar concerns.

As Israel enters the final month before the October 27 election, the Jerusalem Post editorial board warns against the dangers of election economics — the use of public spending to buy votes. The piece acknowledges the inherent tension: a country must continue to function, with legislation passed and budgets disbursed, but during election season every move is suspect. The editorial cites Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's NIS 2.4 billion funding package for West Bank settlements as a blatant attempt to bolster his electoral base, contrasting it with a NIS 35 million pilot program compensating uninsured businesses for extortion damage, which is harder to construe as electioneering. It also examines the attorney-general's decision to delay the E1 tender for 1,200 housing units over electioneering concerns, and Ma'aleh Adumim Mayor Guy Yifrach's counter-argument that stopping the tender is itself a political intervention. The editorial calls on the government to refrain from election economics and on the opposition to refrain from labeling every government decision as electioneering, urging parties to articulate their policy visions instead.