Campaign time: How parties plan to win Israelis' vote

With 44 days left to Election Day, parties hone campaign slogans with hopes of catching voters' ears, ballots

Ynet|Published: 12.09.12 , 15:41

With registration time for the coming Knesset elections over, Israeli parties vying for the public's vote have turned their focus to their campaigns, revealing the official slogans that will mark the January 22 vote.

Some of the parties focused on their leaders' past achievements, while others chose to point a finger at the failures of rival parties. But all are trying to hide some unpleasant facts that might damage their image.

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The joint slogan chosen by Likud- Beiteinu is "Leadership vs. seat chase; unity vs. parties formed by political refugees."

The Likud- Beiteinu campaign will focus on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the only figure who can truly handle security threats, namely a potential Iranian nuclear bomb. The issues the party will try to ignore are social-economic issues, especially the high cost of living in Israel.

The Labor Party's unofficial slogan is "It's either Shelly or Bibi." The party is focusing on the major differences between Shelly Yachimovich and Netanyahu, presenting the advantages of Labor's economic plan.

The Labor plans to ignore other candidates in the Left, such as Hatnua Chairwoman Tzipi Livni and Yesh Atid Chair Yair Lapid.

Hatnua chose a somewhat negative slogan, saying "Netanyahu and Lieberman means danger. Livni means hope."

The party's campaign will focus on "An alternative to Netanyahu's dangerous policies." Hatnua will try to ignore social issues, though Amir Peretz joining the party will be used to boost Livni's position in the polls.

Habayit Hayehudi's slogan is "There's room for everyone." It is aimed at reaching both religious and secular voters, while the campaign will focus on the large representation of young people in the party, including newly-elected Chairman Naftali Bennett, 40, and Ayelet Shaked, 36, who is the first secular woman on the list.

The party will try to ignore the uncertainty surrounding their participation in a future Netanyahu government.

Yesh Atid's slogan is: "We came to make a difference." The party's PR manager said: "No one is taking care of the middle class, our agenda does." Yesh Atid will present itself as a major social force between Netanyahu's uncompromising capitalism and Yachimovich's socialism. The party, like the Labor, intends to ignore Livni.

Shas' campaign will feature the party's spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef with a message that aims to appeal to both the haredi and secular sectors.

The haredi aspect of the campaign will aim to highlight the party's halachic platform, while the secular message will focus on social issues.