Netanyahu opens LinkedIn account: battle for moderate right and high-tech votes

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has opened a LinkedIn account, aiming to attract young people, high-tech workers, and moderate right-wing voters. The decision came after advisers warned that his policy toward ultra-Orthodox parties is alienating the moderate right. In response to Gadi Eisenkot's rising popularity, Likud has developed steps to win back voters, including a statement that the law freezing arrests of draft dodgers is ineffective.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has opened a LinkedIn account, marking the first step of his election campaign, although its official launch has not been announced. Through an economic agenda and discussions of the artificial intelligence industry, he hopes to attract young people, high-tech workers, and moderate right-wing voters. The decision follows repeated warnings from political advisers that Netanyahu's policy toward ultra-Orthodox parties is alienating the moderate right-wing electorate, leaving Likud with mostly its most hardcore supporters. Netanyahu was advised to focus on a more right-wing audience and attract voters from Itamar Ben-Gvir and possibly the ultra-Orthodox parties. This was driven by Gadi Eisenkot's growing popularity among the moderate right and polls indicating his potential to strengthen further. In response, Likud developed a series of steps to win back voters who left the party after a difficult term. One such step was the prime minister's statement that the law freezing arrests of ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers proved ineffective and should not be in effect under the next government. This statement drew criticism both within the right-wing camp and beyond. Netanyahu's first LinkedIn post was published in Hebrew and English, recounting his recent visit to Washington and meetings with US President Donald Trump and senior US administration officials.