Netanyahu mum as nine party heads commit to TV debate
PM neither confirms nor denies he will participate, as all chiefs, except for UTJ’s Litzman, say they will take part
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Nine Knesset party leaders have confirmed they will participate in a pre-election televised debate, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to respond to the invitation, Channel 2 reported on Wednesday.
Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog, Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid, Meretz chief Zahava Gal-On, Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, United Arab List head Ayman Odeh, Shas head Aryeh Deri, Yachad party leader Eli Yishai and Kulanu head Moshe Kahlon have all said they would take part in the debate.
A Likud statement did not rule out the prime minister’s participation in the debate, which has yet to be scheduled.
“All options are open,” the statement said. “The prime minister has not confirmed or ruled out a debate.”
MK Yaakov Litzman, head of the ultra-Orthodox UTJ party, did not respond to the call for participation sent out by Channel 2.
Televised debates are not a usual part of the Israeli pre-election landscape, as they are in the United States.
The last major pre-election debate was a televised discussion between Netanyahu and then-prime minister Shimon Peres in 1996.
On Tuesday, Channel 2 news sent a WhatsApp message to heads of the 11 major parties calling on them to participate in the pre-election debate.
“Just before the citizens of Israel are going to cast votes in ballots and determine the fate of the country, we believe that as is customary in other world democracies, a sincere and meaningful discussion should be held and a public debate should be its climax. In such a debate the main issues on the minds of Israelis can be discussed,” the message read.
Channel 2 said it would hold the debate even if not all party heads commit to attending and seemed to indicate it would leave empty chairs to highlight their absence.
The call issued by the TV station came after Herzog on February 5 challenged Netanyahu to debate him in public ahead of the March 17 elections.
In a Facebook video, Herzog suggested Netanyahu may be wary of accepting the challenge.
“So Bibi, you don’t want to debate me? What’s your story? Are you afraid of me? Are your advisers telling you ‘don’t take him on?’” Herzog taunted, using Netanyahu’s nickname.
“I just want to talk, you and me facing all of the people of Israel. After six years, do you have anything new to say, to present? What are your plans? What is your diplomatic and economic plan? Why don’t you speak? You’re good at talking.”
“I invite you to a debate, say when and where. The people of Israel await you,” Herzog concluded.
Adiv Sterman contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.