ANALYSIS - Domestic Agenda To Outweigh Ukraine Crisis In Israeli Legislative Polls

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2022) Rising costs of living and national security concerns will likely take precedence over the Ukrainian conflict in the Israeli legislative campaign in fall, experts told Sputnik.

Israelis will head back to the polls on November 1. The country's fifth election in less than four years follows the collapse of an ideologically diverse coalition that ousted longtime leader Benjamin Netanyahu over a year ago.

Zeev Khanin, an Israeli political expert at the Department of Political Studies at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat-Gan, said that the possible impact of the conflict in Ukraine on the campaign was "not a significant one."

"We cannot even be sure that it may bring or take away half of a mandate. Israelis go to the polls because of the cost of living, civil issues and security," Khanin said.

Vladimir Beyder, an Israeli tv presenter, editor and screenwriter, argued that some 35,000 repatriates had returned to Israel from Russia and Ukraine since Moscow launched a military operation in the neighboring country in late February.

"All of them came to Israel because of hostilities and you can expect that whoever speaks out with the support of Russia's actions, risks losing votes. 35 thousands is equal to one mandate, I suppose," he suggested.

Beyder estimated that about 80% of 1.2 million Russian-speaking people in Israel opposed the Russian military operation, while 20% supported Russia.

The other 8 million Israelis, who do not have Russian or Ukrainian roots, tend to overlook the conflict when faced with challenges at home.

"For those, who do not have roots and do not feel connected to this territory, the Ukrainian crisis is generally viewed as less important compared to other electoral agenda," he said.

Khanin said that a wise politician should understand that Israel would have to get along with Russia after the operation in Ukraine ended. He pointed to Netanyahu, the leader of the Likud party, as a man who always "catches the mood" of the public.

Netanyahu had kept silent on the Ukraine crisis until his meeting with Ukraine's chief rabbi earlier in September when he described the conflict as a "terrible tragedy that is destroying the lives of the people of Ukraine."

"Netanyahu had kept silent on the matter since February, therefore, we can assume that he could have been possibly advised to state his position," Khanin said.

A Kantar opinion poll published by the public broadcaster Kan on Saturday showed that the Israeli election remained a tossup, with Netanyahu's Likud likely to win 33 seats, followed by Yesh Atid of current Prime Minister Yair Lapid on 24 seats. Netanyahu's prospective coalition, called Netanyahu Bloc, will likely be a seat shy of the 61-seat majority in the 120-member Knesset.