Despite the overwhelming import of the upcoming elections, the campaigns waged by both sides are politically boring and socially uneventful. Israel's future hangs in the balance and the candidates for prime minister have nothing at all to say - or perhaps, they are afraid to say anything new, controversial, or relevant. They are afraid to rock the boat, to upset the balance that has developed in this country as a result of the last few months. The best that can be said about the imminent Israeli elections for prime minister is that it is lackluster. Both candidates have done their utmost to avoid any subject that may be germane to the actual election and to their role as prime minister.
Public appearances are almost exclusively at open-air markets or in high schools and conferences.
True, there has been the usual mud slinging in both directions, but even that has been on a much smaller scale than in past elections. In Israel, great emphasis is placed on TV and radio advertisements. Each candidate is allotted a certain amount of time, and that time is officially programmed onto radio and television, same time each day. A bust of Ben Gurion and a map with indistinguishable borders are in the background. Three Israeli flags stand stiffly behind him.