I don’t usually send out multiple emails per day but I’ve had a bit of a technical issue with this audio file that I finally fixed this afternoon … so you’re getting two today!
I have known Dahlia Scheindlin since we attended Jewish summer camp together more than three decades ago! Over the years, she’s become a prominent and well-respected political pollster who has worked on eight national campaigns in Israel and campaigns in more than a dozen countries. So when I wanted to get the lowdown on what to expect in Israel’s fourth national election in less than two years, I, of course, reached out to her.
In this conversation, which was relatively short by our personal, historical standards, we covered a host of issues - from the extraordinary political staying-power of Benjamin Netanyahu, the rise of right-wing leader Gideon Sa’ar, and the demise of Benny Gantz to the continued decline of the Israeli left, the importation of right-wing American conspiracy theories into Israeli politics, and the limited direct focus on the Arab-Israeli conflict in this election. This was a seriously great conversation, and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed having it!
If you want to get more of Dahlia’s analysis, she is doing a weekly podcast for Ha’aretz with Anshel Pfeiffer (who is also great), called Election Overdose.
Will Bibi Netanyahu Survive Another Election?