In a televised address to the nation on the evening of July 21—ahead of Tisha B’Av, the fast commemorating the destruction of the Second Temple—Israeli President Isaac Herzog warned the electorate that “elections are not a civil war,” and cautioned against turning the campaign into a national catastrophe.
Herzog said he had met with the chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Sohlberg, and Shin Bet chief David Zini, who warned of threats to the integrity of the vote, both internal and external. He implored Israelis to stand against them, and warned candidates and activists of all parties against crossing “red lines” or turning rivals into enemies, invoking the rabbinic maxim, “Sages, be careful with your words.” Though Herzog named no one, the appeal was widely understood as a warning to the far-right flank of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.
It comes with Netanyahu trailing badly ahead of the October 27 election. The latest Channel 12 poll puts Gadi Eisenkot’s new Yashar ("Upright") party first, at 24 seats to Likud’s 23, with Eisenkot preferred as prime minister over Netanyahu, 43% to 37%.