No Apparent Peace Bump for Netanyahu’s Party

The first Israeli political poll out since the signing of the Abraham Accords, the understandings between the Jewish state, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, appear to reinforce the long-held belief among pundits that foreign affairs holds a low position on the scale of interest voting. That principle is driven home forcefully by the projected loss of one seat by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud Party, which currently holds 31 of the 120 seats in parliament, “if the election was held today.” While other factors such as Netanyahu’s trial for breach of trust and bribery arguably play into the mix, the nonstop media coverage of what is a rare sensational and positive story surrounding Netanyahu has apparently failed to move the needle. If the country returned to the voting stations today, the big winner would be the right-wing Yamina coalition headed by Naftali Bennet which is projects to surge from its current six-seat presence in the government to 22 seats, making it the second-largest party in the legislature. Pundits in the United States are taking note of possible transference to the American presidential race. They note media coverage was limited and light given the magnitude of the multiple peace deals and the White House signing ceremony. Most experts seem to believe the overall effect on the president’s re-election bid is minimal.