ABSTRACT
This article analyzes the surge in support for PM Benjamin Netanyahu during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Israel within the framework of the rally effect. Israel was chosen as a case study for two reasons. First, the country was repeatedly polled during the first wave of infection. Second, a strict compartmentalised lockdown limited to certain areas, as a natural experimentation, had been in place for some time. These two factors fresh important light on the circumstances under which a society supports its political leaders during a national crisis.
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Notes
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29. The Diversionary theory is the idea that political elites often seek an adventurous or belligerent foreign policy in order to divert popular attention away from domestic political issues. Levy, Handbook of war studies, 260.
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Shingo Hamanaka
Shingo Hamanaka is a Professor of Middle East Politics at Ryukoku University in Kyoto, Japan.