Shortly before the April 2019 Knesset election, the Israel Democracy Institute published the results of an extensive poll that asked what issue was most important to Israelis as they headed out to vote. Based on its findings, most Israelis were focused on social or economic matters. Some 45% of respondents responded that these were the most important issues for them, ranking significantly higher than foreign affairs and security (28%), religion and state (11%) or bolstering and defending democracy (9%).

The actual election showed a different result. People may have been thinking about the economy or democracy, but their votes still focused on security affairs. Most Israelis cast their ballots for the Likud headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who prides himself on his brand as “Mr. Security,” or for the former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff Benny Gantz of the Blue and White party. In fact, three out of the four men at the top of the Blue and White list were former chiefs of staff: Gantz, Gabi Ashkenazi and Moshe Ya’alon.

There was nothing unusual about this vote either. Most Israelis identify their existential dread with security threats. It is a paradigm that is hard to break, which is why it has been the top consideration in just about every election until now. Certainly, there were years in which complaints about government corruption gained momentum. That is what happened in 1992, when the Likud was considered to be a corrupt party. Even then, however, it was not the sole factor in determining the outcome of the vote. The winner of that election was Yitzhak Rabin, who was also a former chief of staff. Israelis believed that he would be able to rein in terrorism within Israel.

Netanyahu has benefited from this voting pattern. He spent much of his time as prime minister benefiting from the “Mr. Security” label. Even when he ran against three former chiefs of staff in three successive election campaigns, he came out on top. The results prove themselves. He is still prime minister.