Anyone but Bibi: why Israeli election is unlikely to be easy for Netanyahu
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/05/anyone-but-bibi-israel-election-netanyahu-poll
Almost two-thirds of Israelis would prefer a prime minister other than Binyamin Netanyahu, according to a surprise new poll that suggests the incumbent may be more vulnerable than previously thought.
The survey for the Jerusalem Post and its Hebrew sister paper, Ma’ariv, was taken on Wednesday, a day after Netanyahu announced snap elections, and appears to undermine earlier polls that suggest his re-election will be straightforward. It also points to a complicated, febrile and unpredictable election campaign.
Asked whether they wanted Netanyahu to remain prime minister 60% of respondents said no, 34% said yes and 6% said they did not know. But the poll did indicate that the most popular party remains Netanyahu’s Likud – suggesting a gulf between the popularity of him and that of his party.
Ben Caspit, commenting on his paper’s poll in Friday’s Ma’ariv, is not surprised.
“The Netanyahu loyalists, his hardcore, still believe in him [...] The rest of the public, a large number of Israelis, does not want him.”
In large part, say some analysts, that has been driven by the mood music of the electorate. With peace efforts with the Palestinians frozen, the economy ever more in the doldrums and Israel feeling more isolated, a sense of despondency has crept in.
The new poll comes as it becomes clear that the election on 17 March is increasingly seen as a referendum on Netanyahu’s time in office rather than, as he would like to frame it, an opportunity to find a stable governing coalition from the right. It also presents a rally cry for his opponents: “Anyone but Bibi” (Netanyahu’s nickname).
Its not surprising after a decade, people want change. The main problem is the anti-Netanyahu mood in Israel still hasn’t percolated into a desire to shift direction.