Rachael Risby Raz

Socioeconomic status was key indicator of voting in Israel's elections. Among Jewish voters, in the lowest socio-economic cluster, Netanyahu's coalition won North Korean levels of support. In the top cluster, 81% voted for the Change Bloc. via @YediotAhronot

🗳️ Update: Likud pulls out of the Israel Electioncast series Two months ago, I started planning an election podcast. I invited candidates from all the party lists for an interview about policy. They’d pick three policy areas from their manifesto, and I’d challenge them. We asked the Likud spokesman to send a candidate; no response. I reached out to Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, and he agreed straight away. He asked to discuss judicial reform, settlement, and foreign relations. We booked a date, and he pulled out at the last minute. We booked a second slot, and he bailed again. We asked the Likud’s English campaign to help find a replacement. Education Minister Yoav Kisch’s team declined. Boaz Bismuth claimed scheduling conflicts. We tried Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. No luck there. Ditto Amir Ohana and Nir Barkat. The Likud is the only mainstream party joining the Arab and Haredi parties in sitting out this series. Netanyahu also canceled a major event for English speaking voters in Tel Aviv at the last minute. I know this will be disappointing for those who wanted to hear about the Likud’s policies and hear them being defended under scrutiny. So in the interest of fairness, here is a copy of the Likud’s manifesto: