- 13 minutes ago
On Statecraft, host Geeta Mohan tracks major geopolitical developments shaping global power and elections. In Israel, Central Elections Committee Chief Justice Noam Solberg has directed Shin Bet to probe allegations of foreign funding and electoral interference following claims by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid a parliamentary deadlock. Netanyahu's bloc remains short of the 61 seats needed for a majority, leaving Arab parties with potential kingmaker influence. Meanwhile, academic Professor Haim Bresheeth Zabner critiques Israeli politics and voter polarization. Across the Atlantic, President Donald Trump confronts growing challenges ahead of the midterms as Indian American voters reconsider support amid visa restrictions, inflation, and immigration rhetoric, even as Trump backs Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio. Additionally, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh offered Indian counterterrorism expertise and reiterated regional maritime security commitments at the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus in the Philippines.
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00:09can a country call itself the only democracy in west asia when an entire population questions
00:15who that democracy really serves and can a president win over a minority community
00:21with promises of prosperity only to watch that support slip away before crucial elections
00:27today two stories about democracy identity and the price of political choices in an exclusive
00:33interview israeli-born filmmaker and academic professor haim rashid delivers a blistering
00:40critique of israeli democracy questioning whether majority support can justify the destruction of
00:46another people then across the atlantic president trump faces a different test indian americans who
00:52gave republicans the second look now have reasons to reconsider one democracy faces questions about
00:59its moral foundations another political leader faces questions about his electoral future because
01:06winning support is one thing keeping it is another hello and welcome you're watching statecraft with
01:12me geeta mohan israel's election deadlock has taken a dramatic turn the country's election chief has
01:18ordered a probe into suspected foreign interference after prime minister benjamin netanyahu alleged
01:24widespread malpractice in the vote justice noam solberg who chairs israel's central elections
01:30committee has directed shin bet chief david zinni to investigate whether foreign entities funded
01:36attempts to improperly influence the election the agency must submit its findings within one week
01:42solberg said the allegations raised serious concerns but also made clear that he could not verify their
01:49substance the investigation must establish whether evidence supports or disproves the claims netanyahu and
01:56his liquid party have accused arab political parties of undermining the election through alleged bribery
02:02threats violence and other electoral offenses netanyahu claims his party has evidence of cash distribution
02:10alongside ram ballot slips duplicate voting threats against polling staff and discrepancies
02:17in ballot counts he said the evidence will go to the police shin bet and election authorities but these remain
02:24allegations and the investigation will determine whether they have any substance timing is critical here
02:30because israel's election has produced no clear path to a majority the knesset has 120 seats and any government
02:38needs 61 to rule current projections put liquid at 26 seats while netanyahu's wider bloc stands at 53
02:47eight short of a majority the opposition bloc has 48 seats while arab parties are projected to win 19.
02:54that leaves arab parties with potentially decisive influence over who forms the next government but
03:01whether the opposition can work with them remains a major political hurdle the investigation now adds another
03:07layer of uncertainty to an already tense election it could help establish whether foreign money or electoral misconduct
03:14played a role but it does not by itself prove that the vote was compromised with security agencies given seven
03:21days to
03:22report back israel faces two urgent questions were there genuine attempts to interfere with the election and will the final
03:30findings change the battle to form the next government earlier today i spoke with israeli born filmmaker and academic
03:36professor hain barshit zabna his critique of israeli society and palestinian rights raises uncomfortable
03:43questions about democracy and accountability especially during israel's elections listen in you can watch the full
03:50interview on india today global's youtube channel israel has voted but what does it mean for the future of israel
03:57israel and where it's headed for now we see a stalemate but there is going to be a lot of
04:01conversation negotiations
04:03but at the end of the day it does seem like israel is choosing between maybe a right and a
04:09very far right
04:10what is it going to be to discuss this and more i'm being joined by
04:14haim breshit zabna he's an israeli born filmmaker photographer academic and an activist who specializes in film studies
04:24and he's also associated with soas university of london where he's a professorial research associate thank
04:31you so much haim for joining us here and giving us your time let's begin with the results it does
04:38seem
04:38like it is between the right and the very far right how are you looking at how israel has really
04:46voted
04:47well um thanks for having me um i think israel doesn't have any left left so um it's uh a
05:00right-wing
05:01country uh an extreme right-wing um society a society in some kind of social psychosis um in cognitive in
05:13um dissonance uh in denial um the whole world um sees uh the genocide in gaza uh the genocide in
05:26uh
05:26southern lebanon um the attacks on syria on yemen and of course the illegal and um illogical work against
05:37war against iran uh where war against iran together with the us um but israelis uh just see this as
05:46normality and this is business as usual um the percentage of um public support for all those um terrible
05:58um war crimes uh is between 82 percent which is the lowest um it ever was and 97 percent uh
06:08the 97 percent
06:09comes from uh two um different uh university of tel aviv uh polls uh and the polls both supported um
06:21the
06:21action in gaza by 97 percent so this is not a normal society and let's uh start from there secondly
06:32this is a society that is um very cleaved and and uh at war with itself between two right-wing
06:43um political
06:45uh blocks and they were now fighting each other in the election uh and the election is basically um
06:56you know the the result is going nowhere because both are very near in size um none of them has
07:06control
07:06and both of them refused to use uh the arab uh palestinian uh parties um as part of their um
07:17bid
07:18for control i was i was meaning to ask you this uh and uh about the arab parties now they
07:25have offered
07:26outside support to eisenkot is it ironical that at the end of the day uh arab parties could be king
07:34makers over here rejection but numbers speak for themselves nonetheless well the numbers uh could
07:43be even higher if all the palestinians in israel use the vote and use the vote uh wisely in other
07:52words voting for their own parties they could be in the high 20s of mps members of parliament
08:01um on their own um that's not the case because uh quite a lot of the votes in the palestinian
08:10um arena
08:11are bought by the zionist parties but still uh 19 mps if this stays tomorrow is the day when the
08:20votes of
08:20the soldiers are um calculated in so there will be some changes but even if they go down um a
08:28rung to 18
08:29uh that's um without precedent uh in israel so this is the first time that the voting in palestinian
08:38circles was really very very high um they offered their voice um to and and their support to
08:48eisenkot uh not because they support eisenkot there's nothing to support there uh but because they want the end of
08:58the um
08:59netanyahu government the whole call was netanyahu out so um sure another question before i uh before i
09:06move to uh palestinians gaza and what's happening in the west bank um the fact that the arab parties
09:14have numbers the soldiers votes are going to be counted do you think that will be advantage netanyahu or
09:20it could very well be advantage eisenkot
09:23i don't think the soldiers will um advantage uh eisenkot more than netanyahu that's very unlikely
09:31the the younger you are in israel the more right-wing you are so they would uh advantage netanyahu uh
09:39to to some degree we don't know how how much and they will also advantage uh the extreme right which
09:47uh is you know the two parties uh of uh betalel smotrich and uh bengvir uh so this is those
09:56are the
09:57parties that will be advantaged by the soldiers voices okay um just wanted to understand a one uh aspect
10:06now we're looking at the biggest news that's coming in from israel is uh one uh of fraudulent voting is
10:15what netanyahu is accusing in certain quarters but he's also now come out with allegations of
10:21foreign funding because of which uh the numbers were not as as he was expecting it to be what do
10:29you
10:29make of the allegations of foreign funding tilting uh the the voting in israel it's just a i think this
10:37this is total nonsense um this is just um an attempt to derail um the support for uh eisenkot from
10:48uh
10:48those parties um and it just um allows him to say uh these people are supported by qatar and so
10:58on and
10:59um um working with them is um definitely um a betrayal of uh zionism uh so um you have to
11:10expect
11:11this from netanyahu is is a very seasoned liar himself so um he would use this wouldn't he
11:19a controversial campaign ad a president defending his candidate and a republican party worried about
11:25the political fallout u.s president donald trump is standing by vivek ramaswamy the republican
11:31candidate for governor of ohio despite a campaign ad that has sparked an outcry and could have
11:37consequences far beyond the governor's race trump made his third visit to ohio on wednesday night
11:43using a rally in chilikoti to defend ramaswamy against criticism over the advertisement the controversy
11:50centers on amy acton ramaswamy's democratic opponent and ohio's former state health director the campaign
11:57ad features allegations made by acton's estranged mother who accuses her daughter of being a dishonest
12:04candidate she urged ohians to not vote for her daughter acton has called the advertisement despicable
12:10alleging that ramaswamy's campaign is exploiting her mother's circumstances acton has also revealed that
12:17her mother's husband was charged with raping her when she was 12. she was subsequently removed from
12:24her mother's custody and says she has not seen her in decades but trump is refusing to back away he
12:31argued
12:31that ramaswamy was being treated unfairly and questioned why the candidate should be held responsible
12:36for the mother's allegations the ramaswamy campaign is reportedly committing four million dollars to the
12:42advertisement intensifying concerns about its potential political impact and this is where
12:48the controversy becomes bigger than one gubernatorial contest ohio is also home to a closely fought u.s
12:55senate race with republican incumbent john hustet facing former democratic senator sherrod brown republicans
13:03are already confronting political headwinds ahead of the midterm elections any backlash against ramaswamy's
13:09campaign could spill over into other races including the battle for the senate but who exactly is vivek ramaswamy
13:16the 41 year old indian american entrepreneur rose to national prominence during the 2024 republican
13:23presidential primaries a biotechnology entrepreneur and investor he built his political profile around an
13:30outspoken anti-establishment message and a pledge to overhaul the federal government he eventually dropped out of
13:37the presidential race and endorsed president trump becoming a prominent figure in the president's
13:43political orbit now ramaswamy is seeking to translate that national profile into power in ohio with trump
13:51defending him publicly ramaswamy is keeping the controversy alive the question for republicans is whether
13:57this fight stays confined to ohio's governor's race or becomes a liability across the party's midterm campaign
14:04is indian american support for trump slipping before midterms president trump had a problem with indian
14:10american voters in 2020 by 2024 he had made progress but ahead of the november 3rd midterms that progress
14:18looks increasingly fragile a community that gave the republicans a second look now has plenty of
14:25reasons to reconsider visa restrictions have hit skilled workers and students prices have climbed and parts
14:32of trump's own political movement have embraced rhetoric that makes indian immigrants feel less welcome in
14:39the country they call home then there's the relationship with india where trade disputes and diplomatic friction
14:45have challenged expectations of a special friendship the numbers tell a striking story 66 percent of indian
14:53american respondents preferred democrats for congress against just 22 percent for republicans in the latest aapi data
15:01survey so what went wrong for trump and are indian americans returning to the democrats or simply looking
15:07for an exit from the republicans start with the numbers in 2020 just 22 percent of registered indian
15:15american voters intended to vote for trump by 2024 that figure climbed to 32 percent democratic identification
15:24also fell from 56 percent in 2020 to 47 percent in 2024 trump had made inroads he had made progress
15:32but the latest
15:33figures suggest that the goodwill did not last an august survey by aapi data and asian and pacific islander
15:41american vote found that 66 percent of indian american respondents favored democrats for the house against
15:4918 18 for republicans for the senate democrats led 66 to 22 that is not a photo finish it is
15:58a substantial
15:59democratic advantage but what changed between 2024 and now analysts point to immigration restrictions
16:07rising prices anti-indian rhetoric and disappointment over u.s india relations first immigration for many indian
16:16american families this is not an abstract debate about border security it concerns jobs education
16:23permanent residents and the future they've built in america the trump administration tightened visa rules
16:30stepped up immigration enforcement and sharply increased visa fees indian professionals and graduate students
16:38have felt the effects some voters who backed trump may have expected his administration to focus on illegal immigration
16:46instead restrictions also hit the skilled workers who contribute to the american economy why would voters
16:53stick with the party if its policies threaten their professional prospects and family plans for some the answer may be
17:01simple they will not then comes the cost of living inflation stood at three percent when trump took office
17:08and reached three point seven percent last month food fuel and other essentials cost more adding pressure to
17:16household budgets the u.s around war which began in late february has added to those concerns and when bills
17:23rise
17:24political slogans do not pay them could this make indian americans blame trump alone not necessarily some
17:32independents and moderates will weigh economic conditions and policy priorities rather than automatically
17:39support democrats others may hold both parties responsible the point is that affordability has
17:46become a major test of political loyalty if voters believe the administration has failed to ease their
17:52financial burden republican support could suffer particularly in closely contested races but money is not the only
18:00issue there's also the question of belonging in september beau french the republican nominee for the texas railroad
18:08commission posted a photograph of south asian students celebrating a university of texas football victory
18:14and claimed it showed how americans had been displaced by foreigners republican senator john cornyn
18:22condemned the remarks as racist french defended his position by arguing that universities should prioritize
18:29americans over foreign students and workers why does this matter politically because indian american
18:36voters can't support pro-business policies and still reject rhetoric that portrays their community as a threat
18:43such campaigns have eroded goodwill generated by republican lawmakers who favor attracting skilled
18:50technology workers you cannot court talent on monday and tell it to go home on tuesday without consequences
18:56the same disappointment extends beyond domestic policy trump's public support for prime minister narendra
19:03modi led some indian americans to expect closer u.s india ties instead trade policy swung from proposed
19:10tariffs of hundred percent on indian goods partly over india's russian oil purchases to a subsequent change
19:17of course his outreach to pakistan also rankled some members of the diaspora especially given india's
19:24concerns about cross-border militancy and terrorism and trump's disputed claims of mediation during last
19:30year's five-day india-pakistan war did the promise of a close relationship with modi translate into the
19:38relationship some voters expected for some clearly not political symbolism can win goodwill but policy
19:45decisions can quickly spend it are indian americans returning to the democrats carnegie's 2026 survey found
19:53that 46 percent identify as democrats 19 as republicans and 29 as independents while
20:02democrats hold an advantage they cannot take it for granted though under 1.5 percent of eligible voters
20:08indian americans are concentrated in key swing states like pennsylvania georgia new jersey north carolina
20:15making them vital in tight races the verdict trump's gains among indian americans have come under pressure
20:23from policies that affect their livelihoods rhetoric that challenges their sense of belonging and foreign
20:30policy choices that have disappointed some of his supporters the midterms will test whether that
20:36dissatisfaction translates into votes indian americans may not have become enthusiastic democrats again but for
20:44many the republican alternative has become harder to defend india is ready to take its fight against
20:50terrorism beyond its borders and share its battlefield experience with partners across the indo-pacific
20:56defense minister rajnath singh has offered aSEAN members and their dialogue partners india's counter
21:02terrorism expertise as security threats grow across the region speaking at the aSEAN defense minister's
21:08meeting plus conclave in cebu the philippines on thursday singh called for stronger cooperation
21:14against terrorism and threats to maritime security he stressed that countries must move beyond statements
21:20and work together through intelligence sharing joint military exercises and practical training singh pointed
21:28to operation sindoor launched by india last year as an example of new delhi's approach to state-sponsored
21:34terrorism he said the operation targeted terrorist infrastructure and demonstrated india's resolve
21:40to respond to cross-border threats india's offer comes after decades of experience confronting
21:45terrorism including attacks linked to groups operating across its borders new delhi now wants to turn
21:52that experience into a wider security partnership helping friendly nations strengthen their own capabilities
21:58but terrorism is only one part of the agenda singh also underlined india's commitment
22:04to a secure and resilient indo-pacific where trade routes remain open and countries respect
22:10international maritime law he highlighted the importance of the united nations convention on
22:15the law of the sea that's un clause freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight these principles
22:21carry particular weight as several aSEAN members face growing concerns over china's military presence
22:27and territorial claims in the disputed south china sea for india the message is clear regional security
22:34cannot depend on declarations alone it requires cooperation stronger capabilities and respect for
22:41common rules singh also reaffirmed india's role as a trusted net security provider in the indian ocean
22:47and the wider indo-pacific the challenge now is whether this offer will translate into deeper
22:53intelligence sharing more joint exercises and stronger regional coordination as strategic competition
23:00intensifies india wants to be seen not just as a security security partner but as a country ready
23:06to help its neighbors confront common threat that's all in this edition of statecraft before we go
23:11who says royalty can't hit the dance floor king charles joined revelers at the colorful jankanu
23:18parade in the bahamas dancing along with the procession but beneath the celebrations lies a
23:24difficult history as caribbean nations renew calls for britain to pay reparations for its role in the
23:31slave trade the king's caribbean tour will also take him to guyana and antigen babuda for the
23:37commonwealth summit and with that it's a wrap from me goodbye and take care