European media focus on Israeli Right-wing swing

A look at European newspaper coverage throughout the Israeli elections; papers predict conservative shift for electorate.

By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL, JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT
Guardian Newspaper 370 (photo credit: Toya, Wikimedia Commons)
Guardian Newspaper 370
(photo credit: Toya, Wikimedia Commons)
BERLIN – European media devoted significant coverage and analysis to Israel’s Knesset elections.
“How close will it be for Netanyahu?” asked the mass circulation German Bild newspaper in its story on the Israeli election.
The paper predicted a swing to the Right in Israel’s Knesset and the reelection of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.Der Spiegel online headlined its article “Economic crisis could cost Netanyahu the victory.”
The website of the popular German TV news show Tagesschau.de published a report on the most important politicians in the election campaign and termed Netanyahu the “clear favorite.”
The Milan-based daily Corriere della Sera echoed many of the German media’s reports and wrote, “Israel goes to the polls: The right is favored.” La Republica wrote that “Netanyahu runs with the certainty that… he will get his fourth term as prime minister… but it will not be the triumphant victory that ‘King Bibi’ expected.”
Spanish paper La Vanguardia, based in Catalonia, predicted that Netanyahu would prevail. The left-liberal daily El País wrote: “The Israeli Left is in the shadows” and “Netanyahu is in charge,” adding that the prime minister is not addressing the Palestinian peace process or the establishment of a two-state solution.
Click for full JPost coverage
Click for full JPost coverage
The Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat devoted an article to the voting in Jerusalem headlined, “Voting on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Netanyahu calls upon the people.” The paper tracked the career of Netanyahu and diagnosed that his “right-wing government is expected to continue to lead – despite the decline in popularity.” Finland’s largest TV station, MTV3 reported, “Right-wing winds blowing in Israeli elections” and noted like many of the European news outlets that it is assumed that Netanyahu will continue the leadership of a right-wing government.
The Austrian paper Wiener Zeitung wrote that “Israel votes without vision” and predicted a Netanyahu victory. The Polish Rzeczpospolita wrote that the new coalition would likely be more conservative than the current administration.