Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – "The central issue of the elections is the performance and leadership of Prime Minister Netanyahu. I expect a rather high voter turnout" and "I would say that there is a strong desire for change among the Israeli population." But "the real dilemma" is "voting for someone you've heard of, but who has no political background, or choosing someone who has already been part of the government for many years?"
This is how Israeli Ambassador to Rome Jonathan Peled spoke to reporters about the upcoming elections, to be held on October 27th in Israel. "I would be truly surprised if either side won a landslide. I would be surprised by both a clear victory for Netanyahu's government and a landslide victory for the opposition," he said.
“Many believe that, after four years of this government and especially after October 7, a crucial moment has arrived in which Israelis must decide whether to confirm the current executive for a second term or whether, instead, they want change,” Peled noted.
"It would be really unwise of me to make predictions. On the one hand, I would say that there is a strong desire for change among the Israeli population. The question is: to what extent? How far-reaching will this change be? One of the problems we encounter is that many young voters, voting for the first time, are unfamiliar with the various candidates or government teams," he added.
“In some ways, it’s easier to vote for someone you already know, rather than an unknown figure.
"Take, for example, former Chief of Staff General Eisenkot. He is a highly esteemed and respected figure in Israel, but his political experience is virtually zero. Consequently, a young person of 18 or 19, going to the polls for the first time, faces a dilemma," Peled continued. "Vote for someone they've heard of, but who has no political background, or choose someone who has already been part of the government for many years?" the ambassador asked, believing that "it will be a very close contest."
The Israeli ambassador to Italy cast his ballot today at the diplomatic headquarters in Rome, the day polls opened abroad for the parliamentary elections to be held in Israel on October 27. "Today is a special day for us: voting is taking place in Israel's 130 diplomatic missions around the world," Peled said while meeting with journalists. "There are approximately 4.950 people, including diplomats, trade mission staff, and the spouses of our diplomats, who are eligible to vote. In total, we have just under 5.000 eligible voters worldwide who can vote today. Since we are located outside Israel's borders, voting is taking place 12 days before the elections in Israel, scheduled for October 27," the ambassador explained.
Going into detail, Peled explained that "the ballot is placed in a double envelope, since it will have to be shipped to Israel via couriers such as DHL or FedEx." Subsequently, "on October 27, when the vote is counted, these approximately 5,000 envelopes will be added to the final count." In total, "there will be 7.000.331 eligible voters," "out of a population of approximately 10 million," Peled noted, explaining that "12,000 polling stations will be set up" in Israel.
"All parties, perhaps with the exception of the Arab ones, are in full agreement on Israel's security needs. Therefore, there will be no major differences, regardless of who is elected, regarding security and defense policy," he said. "Hamas will remain Hamas, Hezbollah will remain Hezbollah, and the Iranian threats will remain. We will have to continue to defend ourselves as best we can. Therefore, one could say that these elections are, in many respects, about the internal future of the State of Israel, rather than its defense policy," he explained.
Among the items on the agenda, for example, are "issues such as the level of participation of the ultra-Orthodox population in military service. Or how to manage cooperation with the Palestinian Authority," Peled explained.
"In Israel, there are increasingly insistent voices, even coming from the president's office, calling for a broad coalition, perhaps a national unity government," he added. "I believe most Israelis would prefer to avoid another election campaign or a winner with only a narrow margin," Peled said. "Perhaps we should adopt the 'Meloni-style' electoral system, which provides a majority bonus for winning more than 42% of the vote," the ambassador added, explaining that the Israeli electoral system does not provide for a majority bonus.
"We're a rather polarized society right now, because we're still experiencing the trauma of the aftermath of October 7th. We're still in the healing process. But one way to heal is to try to reduce polarization and join forces," Peled explained. "For example, if Eisenkot emerges as a very popular and strong figure, and he and Netanyahu manage to reach an agreement to form a broad government, then they won't need many of the smaller parties anymore. Which means that the fewer parties there are, the fewer concessions you have to make to the various smaller groups. When you need the small parties to achieve a majority, you're inevitably exposed to pressure," the ambassador noted.
"I believe that all our friends and Western countries expect a stable government that maintains good relations with them and that, in essence, reflects the desire, shared by all of us, to achieve security and peace in the region."
"Every state has the right to deny entry to certain citizens for various reasons. I can't tell you the specific reasons, but I can confirm that we have been asked to review the case," said Israeli Ambassador to Italy Jonathan Peled, commenting on the visa revocation of Italian Radio Popolare journalist Martina Stefanoni, who was about to travel to Israel to cover the vote for her newspaper.
"We have learned of this and are looking into the matter. Ultimately, this is an Interior Ministry decision; every foreign citizen entering Israel must go through immigration and customs control, just like in any other country," Peled said. "As the Foreign Ministry, we have asked the Interior Ministry to clarify the reasons behind the decision not to grant the visa," the ambassador continued, explaining that "we don't yet know the details."
However, he concludes, "it is the right of each country to deny or withhold entry to a foreign citizen for various reasons: for example, a criminal record or because the person arouses suspicion. I don't know the specific case, but I hope we'll have more information soon."
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