THE BOOMERANG EFFECT: ISRAEL'S LEFT FACES ITS OWN CAMPAIGN ARGUMENTS There is a striking political i

THE BOOMERANG EFFECT: ISRAEL'S LEFT FACES ITS OWN CAMPAIGN ARGUMENTS

There is a striking political irony unfolding in Israel following the elections. Two of the opposition's biggest campaign issues are now colliding with the realities of coalition negotiations. And the left-leaning media outlets that amplified those campaign messages face the same questions about consistency.

FIRST—THE HAREDI DRAFT.

For months, opposition politicians, backed by sympathetic media coverage, presented ultra-Orthodox military conscription as an urgent national security issue, essential to the IDF, national equality, and Israel's very survival.

Now comes the real test. With the opposition falling short of the seats needed to form a government, will those same politicians suddenly discover room for negotiations, compromises, and exemptions if bringing Haredi parties into a coalition becomes politically convenient?

And will the same media commentators who treated every proposed compromise as a national emergency now defend flexibility when it serves a different coalition?

What was portrayed as a national emergency before the elections cannot simply become a negotiable political bargaining chip afterward without serious questions being asked.

SECOND—QATAR.

Throughout the campaign, Netanyahu faced fierce accusations over the Qatar affair, including allegations of betrayal. Opposition politicians and critical media outlets devoted extensive attention to those accusations.

Now, with neither bloc holding a majority, the opposition faces difficult questions about potential cooperation with Arab parties amid an investigation into suspected foreign funding, reportedly involving Qatar, intended to influence the election.

Those allegations remain under investigation and do not establish wrongdoing by the Arab parties themselves. But the question of political consistency remains: Will the same politicians and media outlets demand equally rigorous scrutiny regardless of which political camp is affected?

THE REAL TEST OF POLITICAL PRINCIPLES IS WHETHER THEY SURVIVE THE PURSUIT OF POWER.

If military conscription was essential to Israel's survival yesterday, it should remain essential today. If alleged Qatari interference demanded scrutiny when Netanyahu was the target, the same standards should apply to everyone.

And if the media presented these issues as matters of national principle during the campaign, it should hold every potential coalition to those same standards afterward.

POLITICAL PRINCIPLES SHOULD NOT CHANGE WITH COALITION ARITHMETIC—AND NEITHER SHOULD JOURNALISTIC STANDARDS.

(Raylan Givens on X)