Netanyahu Won Over His Party. Can He Win Over Israel?

Without Netanyahu, it is near certain that Likud would have formed the next government. He personally is the obstacle to that. With him, it is possible that Israel will get a government that is not Likud, just because Netanyahu personally blocks it. However, it is also possible that whoever forms a government without Likud will manage to make things even worse. The problem with Likud has been its embrace of extremists and of hate for others, especially Arabs. Yet it does have other elements. What replaces it may well rally the worst of the extremism and hate, seeking to mobilize without the better parts of Likud, such as they are. Meanwhile, what was once the best of Israel is left behind, no longer taken seriously by its own voting public.

Oppressive conservatism is taking firm hold all over the globe. Pick a region, and you'll find there a right-wing heavyweight with their cold hands firmly wrapped around the controls. And every time one of them tightens their grip, it adds strength to their counterparts in other places. And it's all bred of fear and loathing: Israel, the UK, America, India, Poland, the Philippines, and Africa. Each place is in a sort of ecstatic desperation to hold on to a caste system of human hierarchy. We're in dark times, a kind of contra-enlightenment, but we've experienced them before. America, be alert! You'll know the time for revolution is upon you when the people in power attempt to undo the First Amendment. Don't be surprised if that's next on the Republican agenda.

I’m always amazed that religious groups support the morally deficient. Moneylenders run the temples.

What will Israel and the Likud Party do when Bibi is no more? They have been led by him for so. They had better start dealing with their growing pains now before it actually takes place. Time to the future and new leadership.

Talk about a Lost Tribe, Israel deserves Netanyahu and all the mess he brings to the table. They're making a monumental error in judgement in believing Israel is only as big and significant and safe as Netanyahu will allow.

“You don’t exchange a horse for a donkey. We have a good horse.” I love that statement, this is applicable to many other countries including India and the US. Strong leaders get elected irrespective of their flaws. Modi of India got elected because there is no other leader to replace him in the opposition parties. Boris Johnson got elected in the UK. I would not be surprised if Trump gets reelected. "Nobody can replace him.” This is what the voters in Israel, India and many other countries agree about their leaders, the corruption charges do not matter, racism and religious fanaticism do not matter, the voters want a strong leader, not a donkey.

Likud's fundamental deficiency is the same as that of the Republican party in the US: short-sightedness. To secure short-term political gains, Likud and the Republicans threaten freedom and security in the long term. In the case of Israel, Netanyahu's increasingly racist rhetoric and increasingly corrosive policies are driving the younger generation to invest their support elsewhere

I think the author fails to distinguish between "bullying into submission" and "winning people over". Netanyahu is a thug and a very corrupt leader.

Bibi has accelerated Israel's headlong rush into apartheid. There's some irony in that.

He’s probably going to win just based upon voter fatigue and he’s also proven resilient in his long reign. And just like here, despite facing serious charges, Trump’s approval ratings keep rising among his supporters so it wouldn’t be surprising if after his strong win in the primary that he builds more momentum to win the next election.

Netanyahu will always have a chance when the majority of Palestinians under Israeli rule cannot vote in the same elections as Jews.

If conservative voters in Israel are anything like those in the United States, they won't let blatant corruption and lawlessness prevent them from supporting Mr. Netanyahu