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Northern Israelis who backed Netanyahu rethink vote ahead of Oct 27 election

AFP reports that some residents of Israel's northern border towns, long Likud strongholds, say they may not back Netanyahu on Oct 27 after years of war with Hezbollah. Others say only his hawkish coalition can protect them.

2 outlets · 0L · 0C · 2R First reported Account updated
Image: Arab News
Image: The Straits Times

1 / 2

The story, neutrally told

Right · 2On Israel's border with Lebanon, some previous supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told AFP they are rethinking how they will vote in the first election since the war. Right · 2In 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. Right · 2Hezbollah began firing into Israel in October 2023 in support of Hamas, displacing tens of thousands of Israelis. A fragile ceasefire in November 2024 halted that war, but evacuees were not allowed home until early 2025, and the northern front reopened after the outbreak of the Iran war.

Right · 1Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel again in March in support of Iran. Israel has seized what it calls a "security zone" in Lebanon, where authorities say Israeli attacks have killed more than 4,300 people, and at least 48 Israeli civilians and 30 soldiers have died on the Lebanese front since 2023. Right · 2Sigal Malachi, who owns a plant nursery in Nahariya and had to close it for several years before reopening in March, said many people she knows were Netanyahu supporters and no longer are. Right · 1Maxim Zarbaylov of Nahariya, who has always voted Likud, said he now wants to vote for Gadi Eisenkot, the former military chief described as Netanyahu's main election rival. He said Netanyahu could have prevented the Oct 7 attack.

Right · 2In Shlomi, supermarket owner Shadi Tuma said the war has cracked Netanyahu's local support base, that residents no longer trust the government, and that the high cost of living is a major complaint. In 2022 Likud won 43% of the vote in Shlomi, against 23% nationwide, and 38% in Nahariya, a town of about 70,000. Right · 1Not all residents are turning away: Patrice Haddad, who retired to Nahariya from Paris a year ago, said he will vote for the right because with a government like Netanyahu's, "we will feel protected".

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left0 outlets

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre0 outlets

No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Right2 outlets

Framing
Both right-leaning outlets run AFP's report under the same headline, centred on war-weary northern residents losing faith in Netanyahu. The coverage is largely identical.
Emphasis
Erosion of Netanyahu's support in Likud strongholds, trauma from the war, cost of living, and one resident who still backs the right.
Leaves out or plays down
No comment from Netanyahu, Likud or Eisenkot's camp, and no polling data. The 2022 vote shares are the only electoral figures given.
Charged language
“War-weary”“psychological catastrophe”
For example
“War-weary northern Israelis rethink loyalty to Netanyahu before election” — Arab News
“In traditional strongholds of Netanyahu support, many said they could no longer back his government in the Oct 27 vote.” — The Straits Times