The Refusenik in the Knesset: Yuli Edelstein on Bibi’s diplomacy, Europe’s far right, and Israel’s elections
Photo: Flash90
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, a member of Likud, is considered a central figure in the current election campaign. He is widely respected by the Israeli public for his personal conduct and for the way he expresses his positions on important issues. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tries to include Edelstein in photo opps to burnish his own standing.
Edelstein’s vantage point offers him a unique perspective on the Israeli political stage. His Likud party has improved its standings in recent polls, and the right-wing bloc has taken a slight lead, increasing the probability that Edelstein will be reappointed speaker. The campaign is hitting a fever pitch, with the vote now only three weeks away.
The electioneering was interrupted last Sunday when a terror attack at the Ariel Junction in Samaria claimed two lives. A Palestinian terrorist stabbed IDF staff sergeant Gal Keidan, 19, to death, then stole his rifle and shot several people, including Rabbi Achiad Ettinger, 47, who succumbed to his wounds a day later.
After the funerals and the shivah calls, the debate will once again center on security. The question is not whether the last stage of the election will play out in the shadow of a military escalation. The escalation is already upon us; only the scope and the political impact have yet to be determined.
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