Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) visits a newly reopened restaurant in Jerusalem
Credit: AFP
Benjamin Netanyahu re-election campaign has found an unlikely ally in the cartoon series South Park, as the prime minister deploys comedy sketches and glitzy party videos to style himself as the country’s vaccines saviour ahead of polls next week.
In a recent scene from South Park, an Israeli El Al plane swoops into the fictional American town and a burly figure throws boxes of Covid vaccines into the cheering crowd.
The sketch was a wry allusion to Israel’s status as the world’s fastest vaccinator, with 50 per cent of the population now fully inoculated against the disease.
Mr Netanyahu was so delighted with the sketch that he posted the clip on his Twitter page, with the caption: “Even in South Park they already know — in Israel [things] are coming back to life.”
No such operation has really taken place, of course, but the gesture reflects the prime minister’s eagerness to be seen as a heroic figure as he fights Israel’s fourth election in two years.
גם בסאות'פארק כבר יודעים — בישראל חוזרים לחיים! pic.twitter.com/lgxhcoovN6
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) March 11, 2021
Mr Netanyahu also created his own comedy sketch on vaccines, where the prime minister is seen reassuring Israelis that it is safe to take the Pfizer jab.
In the video, a man dressed in a baby costume, complete with a dummy and bib, says he doesn’t need to take the vaccine because he is young and healthy.
“Sadly, corona affects everyone, but the vaccine is the way to protect yourself, your parents, grandma and grandpa,” Mr Netanyahu says.
He is also confronted by a paranoid “keyboard warrior” who claims the vaccines are part of a sinister plot to inject Israelis with surveillance microchips. “Stop the fake news,” Mr Netanyahu responds wearily.
WATCH: Prime Minister @netanyahu’s Purim video with English subtitles 🤡
Go vaccinate 💉💉 pic.twitter.com/IZvtLSMJhn
— 🇮🇱Avi Hyman🇮🇱 (@AviHyman) February 25, 2021
Then there is the glamorous, party-themed campaign video posted to Mr Netanyahu’s Twitter account earlier this month.
Here, the Israeli premier is seen grinning with a glass of beer in a bar as revellers dance to the lyrics: “Back to life, back to reality.”
“He’s had incredible success with this strategy,” said Dahlia Scheindlin, an Israeli pollster and political analyst. "It shows that he has comic timing, that he can banter with anyone."
"But it’s also a display of confidence, that he can laugh at himself," she added. "It’s the kind of thing that only he can pull off."
However, the playful, light-hearted nature of these sketches belies a bitter deadlock in Israeli politics which has endured for two years and is expected to continue.
And compared with previous, pre-pandemic elections, this year’s campaigns are proving to be a more muted affair, with fewer mass rallies.
Recent polling suggests that no one party will emerge as the clear winner on Tuesday night and a lengthy process of coalition talks is yet again likely to follow.
There is even speculation that a fifth election could be on the horizon. This is because Mr Likud’s right-wing alliance is widely projected to fall short of a 61-seat majority on the night, while his political enemies remain bitterly divided.
הבאנו חיסונים, נזניק את הכלכלה! 🇮🇱✌️ pic.twitter.com/okY1oRoEYu
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) March 10, 2021
It is not the first election where Mr Netanyahu, who is known fondly as "Bibi," has tried his hand at comedy.
In a 2015 sketch, he turns up at a couple’s apartment and offers his services as "The Bibisitter," before wrapping himself in a blanket on the sofa and tucking into some popcorn.
The clip showed a disarmingly soft side to the pugnacious Israeli premier, but it also contained a clear political message: "you can’t trust any other politician to look after the children of Israel".
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