War-weary northern Israelis rethink loyalty to Netanyahu before election
AI generated
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Israelis → rethink → election
On Israel’s border with Lebanon where Hezbollah fired thousands of rockets and drones, previous backers of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say they are rethinking how they will vote in the first election since the war.
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they → fire → war
“Many I know were right-wing and were Bibi supporters, and today they’re not,” said plant nursery owner Sigal Malachi, using a nickname for Israel’s longest-serving premier.
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Malachi → know → premier
In traditional strongholds of Netanyahu support, many told AFP they could no longer back his right-wing government in the Oct 27 vote, accusing it of failing to secure a lasting quiet with the militants.
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they → tell → militants
Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, began firing into Israel in October 2023 in support of Hamas following the deadliest-ever attack on the country.
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Hezbollah → back → country
The barrages altered life in northern communities, displacing tens of thousands of Israelis and forcing people like Malachi to close shop for several years.
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barrages → alter → years
Northern Israelis are accustomed to incoming fire from the Lebanese side of the border, but they say that round of conflict was more intense.
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round → accustom → conflict
“We grew up with Katyushas (rockets) and bombs,” said Malachi, whose plant nursery reopened in March.
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nursery → grow → March
She described that “if you went outside, within a second you’d be running” for shelter.
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you → describe → shelter
The war was halted with a fragile ceasefire in November 2024, but evacuees were not allowed home until early 2025.
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evacuees → halt → 2025
Life began slowly returning to normal, until the northern front reopened after the outbreak of the Iran war.
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front → begin → war
Maxim Zarbaylov, who was born in the former Soviet Union but has long lived in Nahariya, the northern-most Israeli town on the Mediterranean, is among those wavering.
“All my life I voted for (Likud), for Bibi Netanyahu...
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I → bear → Netanyahu
But this year I want to vote for (Gadi) Eisenkot,” he said, referring to the former military chief who is Netanyahu’s main election rival.
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who → want → chief
Hezbollah has repeatedly dragged Lebanon into conflicts with Israel, most recently in March with rocket fire at Israel in support of Iran.
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Hezbollah → drag → Iran
Israel has in turn seized what it calls a “security zone” in Lebanon, where authorities say Israeli attacks have killed more than 4,300 people.
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attacks → seize → people
At least 48 Israeli civilians and 30 soldiers have died on the Lebanese front since 2023.
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civilians → die → 2023
‘Psychological catastrophe’
The prolonged violence has left border residents in limbo.
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violence → leave → limbo
“After Oct 7, we don’t sleep well anymore,” Malachi said.
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Malachi → sleep → Oct
“I’ve thought about leaving.
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I → think → ?
But the roots are so deep that I’m staying.”
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I → stay → ?
Shadi Tuma, who owns a supermarket there, prides himself on running the only one that remained open.
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that → own → one
“This area is under a trauma we haven’t seen before.
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we → see → trauma
The government is unable to provide a comprehensive response,” he said.
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he → provide → response
“It’s a huge psychological catastrophe.
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It → ’ → ?
Not everyone is able to cope with a war that lasts three years.”
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that → cope → war
The war has cracked the local support base for Netanyahu, Tuma said.
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Tuma → crack → Netanyahu
In the last elections in 2022, the premier’s Likud party won 43% of the vote in Shlomi, compared with 23% nationwide.
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party → win → %
Residents who backed Netanyahu “now want change because they no longer trust this government”, Tuma said.
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Tuma → back → government
He said the high cost of living was a major complaint.
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cost → say → living
“Many people I see are struggling to make it to the end of the month.”
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I → see → month
He was born in Lebanon, the son of a fighter with the South Lebanon Army, a militia that fought alongside Israel in the 1980s and that had many fighters granted Israeli citizenship.
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fighters → bear → citizenship
The war could have shifted longstanding political loyalties in towns like Nahariya, a sleepy resort of about 70,000 people.
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war → shift → people
In 2022, 38% of voters there chose Likud.
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% → choose → Likud
But Zarbaylov says there is anger over the failure to stop Hamas’ unprecedented assault on the country.
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Zarbaylov → say → country
“What happened on Oct 7, Bibi could have prevented it, but he didn’t,” he said.
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he → happen → it
“The army, the top commanders, the chief of staff, could have prevented it.”
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army → prevent → it
Others believe only the current hawkish coalition can protect them.
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coalition → believe → them
Patrice Haddad retired to Nahariya from Paris a year ago, drawn by the town’s “charm”.
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Haddad → retire → charm
Israel’s “Law of Return” allows any Jew anywhere in the world to immigrate and automatically receive citizenship.
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Jew → allow → citizenship
Adjusting to life under the rockets was not simple at first.
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Adjusting → adjust → rockets
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
