The prime minister has repeatedly beaten the political and legal odds over the years.
By Loveday Morris and Loveday Morris Jerusalem bureau chief covering the Middle East Email Bio Follow Ruth Eglash Ruth Eglash Reporter covering Israel and the Palestinian territories Email Bio Follow April 5 at 1:36 PM JERUSALEM — When Israel’s top satire show launched its recent election special, it depicted an impersonator of Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu breaking out of chains in a Houdini-like feat. With a smirk he turned to exit, before realizing his foot was still shackled.
And still he has survived, denying all accusations of wrongdoing, staying put when others might have resigned and winning a pair of elections in which he was widely written off. That self-belief has only grown over the years, former advisers say, as Netanyahu has defied the odds to stay in power. “My wife always used to joke that she felt like she was in bed with him,” he said. “He has such a deep voice, she could still hear him through the phone.”
Then, on election day, his campaign released a last-minute video declaring Israeli Arabs were flocking to the polls, potentially threatening to thwart his reelection. The video, which was condemned by many Israelis as racist but may have succeeded in spurring his supporters to vote, was entirely the prime minister’s call, Shaviv recalled.“He felt that almost with his bare hands, he managed to win,” said Aviv Bushinsky, another former adviser and chief of staff to the prime minister.
But when Palestinian suicide bombers began blowing up buses and restaurants in Israel, the shine came off the peace process championed by Rabin and Peres. Public opinion swung toward Netanyahu.Shortly before the election, Netanyahu participated in a televised debate, which was prerecorded at the Labor Party headquarters in Tel Aviv. Barnea watched the session live with about a dozen other journalists. They thought Netanyahu performed well.
Netanyahu at the White House last month. While Netanyahu is also of Ashkenazi stock, his family had felt alienated from Israel’s Zionist establishment. Netanyahu’s father Benzion had been a follower of the revisionist leader Binyamin Zeev Jabotinsky, a rival of left-leaning socialists who dominated the early Zionist movement.
Over the years, Israeli newspapers have highlighted his penchant for leaving restaurants without picking up the bill and reported scintillating details of the extravagant habits of the Netanyahus. Netanyahu attends the funeral of Zachary Baumel on Thursday in Jerusalem. The U.S. citizen and Israeli soldier went missing during fighting in Lebanon in 1982. His remains were recovered this week. A different cloth The personal stakes for Netanyahu are higher in this election than ever before.
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