Netanyahu's new "election weapon" - and the gap compared to the facts

An analysis by N12 and Scooper's "What's the Message" project reveals how Likud adopted the slogan "Right or Palestine" as a central election weapon, a reincarnation of "Peres will divide Jerusalem" from 1996. The article presents a gap between the message and the facts: Netanyahu himself signed Trump's 21-point agreement, which includes a horizon for a Palestinian state.

An analysis by N12 and Scooper's "What's the Message" project reveals the Likud's media strategy in the 2026 elections: adopting the slogan "Right or Palestine" as a central election weapon. The article compares this to the "Peres will divide Jerusalem" campaign from 1996, when Netanyahu won. Minister Miri Regev was the first to use the phrase, but Minister Amichai Shikli launched the message on July 29. Netanyahu turned it into the central message in the final stretch, and on October 3-4 a coordinated wave of posts was recorded. The analysis is based on 2,865 posts by 96 Knesset members from October 7, 2023 to October 6, 2026. However, the article reveals a substantial gap: Netanyahu himself signed Trump's 21-point agreement, which includes a horizon for a Palestinian state. The message attempts to distance the discourse from responsibility for the October 7 massacre, the cost of living, and the reserve duty burden, and to steer the conversation in a direction favorable to Likud.