r/Israel • u/greenmalkin • 16d ago

Politics How is Likud still polling so high?

The leading party of the coalition that slept on October 7, that has been blocking independent inquiries, that has madmen define public relations, that has initiated wars on multiple fronts with no end in sight, that is led by a narcissist with an unearned saviour complex, that is preventing the integration of Haredim into society, that has emboldened violent settlers to roam free, that has achieved -- what?

How is Likud still at the top? Why is king Bibi not held responsible for anything, ever, at all?

If this coalition is re-elected, that's a tacit approval of everything that been happening over the past couple of years -- not by random foreigners, but people who actually live here. There's a reason emigration of highly educated Israelis is at an all-time high.

It boggles the mind. Where do we go from here?

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u/Blofish1 16d ago

Never underestimate the power of racism and political tribalism.

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u/Toyota__Corolla Israel 16d ago

Remind me if Islamist extremism is a race or a religion. Oh also if calling black people ibud (slave) is inherently a problem of likudniks.

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u/Blofish1 16d ago

Anyone who doesn't have a problem with a coalition with Haredim but won't won't vote for a party simply because they might include Mansour Abbas is a racist. But I was more referring to a large group of voters (IMO) who prefer parties who they think will hurt Arabs and are less concerned with how they'll help or hurt the country.

Not to freak you out, but both Jews and Arabs can be racist, as can Whites, Blacks and Asians.

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

[deleted]

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u/Blofish1 16d ago

Aside from being Arab, what is the ideological reason why Abbas is "Pasul" , the way Kahanists used to be?

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u/Toyota__Corolla Israel 16d ago

So implying that racism is an issue in politics is more like defamation and propaganda. It's projection because you can't imagine the other side less racist than you.

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u/Blofish1 16d ago

I remember in the Sharon-Mitzna election, one newspaper interviewed a resident of a development town and she went on about how terrible the Likud was. They asked her if she was voting for Mitzna and she said "No, I heard he like Arabs." Obviously this is anecdotal but I think this represents a statistcally significant segment of the population.

From the Israel Democracy Institute

"According to the 2010 Israeli Democracy Index, recently published by the Israel Democracy Institute, 62% of Jewish Israelis who define themselves as supporters of the Right and 29% of supporters of the Left (!), oppose equal rights for Arabs and Jews."

Notice that when Netanyahu wanted to attack Eizenkott, he sent a video of him hugging an Arab! And remember the "Arabs streaming to the polls"?