(FT.com).As Benjamin Netanyahu slowly made his way through crowds of adoring supporters on Tuesday night, it looked as if one of the most important battles of the election campaign was already behind him.
Whether he will indeed emerge as Israel’s next prime minister will only be known after polling day on February 10. But he can enter the final stretch of campaigning safe in the knowledge that the entire election has shifted on to a terrain where Mr Netanyahu and his Likud party hold a natural advantage: security.
Both his campaign managers and his foot soldiers understand the message. One song that was repeated over and over again before Mr Netanyahu’s arrival proclaimed “Strong Likud, strong Israel”, while the party’s campaign slogans are filled with references to “security” and “strength”.
The theme was echoed by Likud supporters. Medina Aloni, a smartly dressed woman waiting outside the conference hall, said she would vote Likud because “we have to keep our strength and our security, and [Mr Netanyahu] understands security”.
