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Mar. 10, 2021
The coronavirus year has been a challenging one for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – some 6,000 dead, three lockdowns that have tested the public’s patience, and a slumping economy. The Netanyahu government hasn’t been a stellar performer in the face of the crisis. Under Likud ministers, the key finance and education ministries have been doing their jobs badly, and policies have been characterized by zig-zags and suspicions of politicized decisions.
Yet, all the public opinion polls ahead of Israel’s March 23 election continue to show that voters regard Netanyahu as the candidate most suited to be prime minister. His Likud is likely to emerge with 30 mandates, the largest party by a wide margin. That is fewer than the three previous elections, when the party captured 35, 32 and 35 seats, respectively, but not a lot fewer. In any case, the Likud traditionally wins more seats than the polls predict.
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Mar. 8, 2021
Israel’s politicians are too busy with election campaigning to be paying much attention to the biggest challenge they face – how to rescue the economy in the wake of the coronavirus crisis and restore growth. Even now, as the economy is reopening from the most severe of the pandemic restrictions, the government should be undertaking a coordinated exit. But no one has been giving it any real thought.
The 15 billion shekel ($4.5 billion) program to “aid the economy” that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yisrael Katz put on the table a month ago is entirely political. In fact, it’s not really a program but a “presentation,” as the Bank of Israel has termed it. It includes a grant to every citizen, increased grants for businesses and more grants for the unemployed.
Mar. 7, 2021
The Israeli government approved a list of measures easing restrictions on Saturday evening, hours before they were due to take effect, in the third phase of the exit from the coronavirus lockdown.
As of Sunday, middle-school students will return to school in some areas, and college and university classes will resume on campus for the vaccinated. In addition, Israelis will now be able to fly back to Israel without having to go through a special committee to do so.
Who are Israel s Mizrahi voters and why can t the left win their votes? LISTEN to Election Overdose
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