The Likud, Labor and The Tzipi Livni Party attacked their rivals in Wednesday evening’s election advertisements broadcast, following more positive advertising trends the previous night.
Labor’s advertisements on Tuesday were positive, focusing on the party’s candidates and key issues.
On Wednesday, however, the party took on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
“On October 9, Bibi brought an early election. Why? What is he hiding?” the ad asked.
“Netanyahu plans to fill the hole in the budget that he created himself in the only way he knows – by hurting the middle class.”
The ad continues to explain that, to remain prime minister, Netanyahu is waiting until after the election to make major cuts in teachers’ salaries, the basket of health services and aid to the handicapped.
Meanwhile, Livni re-aired commercials bashing Netanyahu’s foreign relations and security credentials, which appeared on Tuesday’s broadcast, but added one focusing on the economy.
“Things have been stuck for four years; nothing changed,” MK Yoel Hasson said, kicking off the attack ad. “It’s much harder to make a living with dignity,” Amir Peretz said in the clip. “It’s much harder to grow old with dignity.”
A very pregnant Jerusalem City Councilwoman Merav Cohen complained that taxes paid by the middle class benefit other sectors of society.
Then, several candidates said that things can be better, there will be justice and a the next government must have new priorities.
Meretz took a more humorous route with its attack ad, saying the outgoing government helped medical services, showing a photo of MK Miri Regev (Likud) calling African migrants “a cancer,” solved water supply issues in Arab villages, with a photograph of MK Anastasia Michaeli (Yisrael Beytenu) splashing MK Ghaleb Majadele (Labor), and juxtaposed Shas co-chairman Eli Yishai’s photo with a Ku Klux Klansman while mentioning fighting racism.
The Likud, the target of most of the attack ads, took on a different mark, focusing on Bayit Yehudi.
“Know who is hiding behind [Bayit Yehudi chairman] Naftali Bennett and his nice smile,” a voice-over said ominously.
The Likud commercial then pointed to Bayit Yehudi candidates former rabbinical court chairman Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan, Binyamin Regional Council deputy chairman Motti Yogev and Hebron activist Orit Struck as extremists. The ad also quoted the spiritual leaders of Tekuma, which is one of the parties making up the Bayit Yehudi, including Rabbi Dov Lior, chief rabbi of Kiryat Arba, who called Baruch Goldstein a holy martyr.
Baruch Goldstein was an American- born doctor who killed 29 Arab worshipers at the Cave of the Patriarchs in 1994.
The Bayit Yehudi responded that the ad “proves the Likud finally decided to form a left-wing government, which is why they are busy attacking Bayit Yehudi, the only party that opposes a Palestinian state.”
On Tuesday, the first night of what is officially known as the Election Propaganda Broadcast reached a combined 20 percent ratings for its three showings. The campaign advertisements are shown from Sunday through Thursday at 6 p.m. on Channel 10, 10 p.m. on Channel 1 and 11:15 p.m. on Channel 2. Parties are not allowed to buy advertisements on television, and receive free airtime in proportion to their size.