Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who failed to form a coalition after the April polls, plans to visit India ahead of the repeat elections in September hoping that a photo-op with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi will boost his campaign, according to an opinion piece in a leading Israeli daily.
Israeli lawmakers in May voted 74-45 in favour of dissolving the 21st Knesset (Parliament) and hold an unprecedented repeat general elections on September 17 after Netanyahu failed to form a coalition government.
Ha'aretz columnist Yossi Verter, in an opinion piece, 'Netanyahu's Out of Luck, but He's Hoping a Photo-op With India's Modi Will Help', over the weekend argued that Netanyahu 'enlisted' (or recruited) three heads of world and regional powers to help boost his campaign before the April 9 elections.
"Heading the group was the buddy, Donald Trump. In the most transparent manner, from on high, the White House organised a palsy-walsy visit for Netanyahu, whose highlight was when the President signed a document recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. That was on March 25 and was Trump's modest contribution," Verter wrote.
"Pleased as punch, Netanyahu returned to Israel, and on April 1, the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, arrived for a visit. Then, a week before Election Day, Netanyahu flew off to Moscow, where President Vladimir Putin organised a spectacular, Hollywood-style ceremony in his honour, marking the discovery of the remains of long-missing Israeli soldier Zachary Baumel", he added.
However, after the Knesset was disbanded and the country hurtled into another election campaign, Verter said that "the Prime Minister's Bureau dusted off the globe. Where haven't we visited, who haven't we met with?"
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