“For the first time, the fight is on the right side of the map,” said Karine Nahon, a political scientist at the Interdisciplinary Center-Herzliya. And he is a master of controlling the news cycle, among the many benefits of incumbency. But Mr. Netanyahu’s biggest liability could emerge in February, when testimony is to begin in his trial on felony corruption charges, including bribery and breach of trust. A key reason that Israel is being subjected to yet another election, analysts say, is Mr. Netanyahu’s burning desire to bolster his support in Parliament for a possible move to mitigate his legal exposure, defer prosecution or even have the case tossed altogether. Indeed, while Israel’s rat-a-tat elections may look from the outside like a symptom of systemic instability, up close, even Mr. Netanyahu’s supporters view the recurring campaigns as evidence of his ability to bend the system to his purposes.

Source: New York Times December 23, 2020 23:28 UTC