Populism in Israel: A study of the manifestation of populist rhetoric among Israeli right-wing political actors between 2015 and 2020

Sammanfattning: This thesis examines four Israeli elections between 2015 and 2020 with the purpose of describing how populist rhetoric has been manifested within right-wing political discourse during this period. Two separate theoretical frameworks are utilized for the analysis, based on theories by Cas Mudde, Jordan Kyle and Kurt Weyland, conceptualizing populism both as an ideology and as a political strategy. The discourse of right-wing political actors during the examined time period has been characterized by significant populist rhetoric, in particular with regard to issues of national sovereignty and security. However, references to economic issues and immigration were not very prominent in the rhetoric. The marginalization of the left-wing escalated as the election campaigns became more polarized and complex political maneuvering through personalistic leadership was a prominent feature. Controversial statements and actions within the immediate period before the elections were generally followed by backtracking afterwards. The increasingly right-wing populist character of the rhetoric can be said to have contributed to a gradual “lowering of the bar” with regard to political correctness as well as the general “turn to the right” of Israeli political discourse.