Elie Yishai, Shas: A Pension for Every Worker: Yes We Can! -Judging by the familiar slogan, the religious party of sephardi Jews in Israel must find a lot in common with Obama's political themes. We'll never know though, since the political parties vying for seats in the Knesset (parliament) don't actually debate. These posters and other paid ads are all voters have to go on.
Tzipi Livni, Kadima: A 'Different' Prime Minister. -Not different politically (since she served as foreign minister in the previous government) but gender wise - definitely different.
Benjamin 'Bibi' Netanyahu, Likud: Likud is Large: A Firm Government - Hmm, calling your party large and firm, especially when your main oppenent is female (Tzipi Livni of Kadima) could be construed as sexist in some countries. Another Likud poster showed Livni with her head in her hands and simply stated "It's Too Big for Her."
Especially around Tel Aviv, 'Bibi' Netanyahu had a hard time keeping fingers out of his nose.
Ehud Barak, Labor: At the Moment of Truth, Barak -The image of Barak here is a bit Obama-ish, but apparently not enough. For a major party, Labor performed poorly in the polls.
Avigdor Lieberman, Yisrael Beiteinu: I Believe Him. -While some of his party's political stands actually make sense (like support of a two state solution), Lieberman often does not, and has earned a reputation internationally and among opponents in Israel as a fascist.
Hadash: Building A New Left. -"New" in two ways. Hadash stood up against the Jan. 2009 Gaza war, unlike other left parties. "New" also in the sense that Hadash, until recently, was the main communist party (apparently the party color of red was a keeper) and now attracts Arabs and Jews alike (notice the poster has both Hebrew and Arabic) through its progressive platform.
Unlike in the United States, electioneering and political advertisements are allowed directly in front of polling places. This picture was taken right in front of the building where I voted.
Political ads and a Hadash youngster in red aim to sway voters in front of the polling place.
A poster outside the voting room demonstrates the various ballots. Once in the booth the voter chooses the card corresponding to the desired party, seals it in an envelope, and drops it in the ballot box.
Here's a closer look at the ballot demo. Each party has a ballot with a 1-3 letter acronym at the top. In the middle here is the Kadima ballot, with the letters kaf & nun, which also spells 'yes'. This system was used in the first years of the state when hardly anyone could actually read Hebrew; the 1-3 letters were meant to make identifying your party as easy as possible. Now it just seems like a distraction.
An Obama-ish ad for Tzipi Livni of Kadima sponsored by Young People for Tzipi Livini. It reads: Our Chance For Change.
