Welcome to the Israeli politics transfer window
Agents are working overtime, polls have turned into a league table, and every candidate with a few ranks on their shoulder, a successful exit in their resume, or enough social media followers has suddenly become a sought-after acquisition.
They are standing at the starting line, stretching their muscles, sweating, looking straight at the goal, waiting for the whistle that will launch them into a race that will determine their fate for the next four years. The referee calls out, "Ready? On your marks, get set, go!". The arms race of Israeli politics has begun, and the parties are in a frenzy. This one is joining that list, she is conducting negotiations with him, he left this list to join the enemy on the other, one has already agreed but hasn't signed yet, and the second swears he didn't receive an offer at all.
Agents are working overtime, polls have turned into a league table, and every candidate with a few ranks on their shoulder, a successful exit in their resume, or enough social media followers has suddenly become a sought-after acquisition. Welcome to the Israeli politics transfer window. Only instead of a striker with 20 goals a season, everyone is looking for the next major general in reserve, an entrepreneur, a high-tech figure, or someone who was a CEO of something. And if possible, someone who hasn't been in politics at all, even better. That way, you can present him for two weeks as a "secret weapon" until he too discovers that in the end, you have to answer what your opinion is on the conscription law.
And like in any good transfer window, it's already hard to keep track: who is with whom? Who left whom? Who is negotiating with whom? And who announced that there are no negotiations, which means there probably are? And it's actually quite fun. After almost three years where every news opening felt like a collective anxiety attack, we suddenly returned to gossiping about spots on the list. August, summer vacation, sea, air conditioning, elections on the horizon. For a moment, one might think that the most burning security question in Israel is who will get the fourth spot with whom.
Only while we are busy with the candidate arms race, another arms race is taking place in the region—and it is a little less amusing. In the Gaza Strip, attempts at rehabilitation and buildup continue, and violations of the ceasefire are no longer always able to disturb the peace of our feed. Also on the Hezbollah front, the quiet is far from being a reason to take your foot off the gas.
Here, we are recruiting candidates. There, they are trying to recruit capabilities. Here, we are building lists. There, they are rebuilding power. Here, we are preparing for elections. They are preparing for what will come after them. Look, elections are important, lists are important, and a good team needs good players, but after October 7, we should have already learned that stars do not replace strategy and that quiet is not a work plan. So go ahead, keep signing. Just every once in a while, lift your head from the transfer window and check what is happening on the field.
