With 19 days to go before Israel’s Knesset election, parties are stepping up efforts to win voters from both rivals and coalition partners. In the right-wing bloc, Benjamin Netanyahu is focused on turnout among Likud supporters as parties bargain over votes and seat-sharing agreements.
Likud is weighing whether to make a last-minute push to become the largest party, Ynet reported, while some right-wing parties, particularly Religious Zionism, have little polling cushion above the electoral threshold. Netanyahu appears to be trying to strengthen Bezalel Smotrich and win support from Ofer Winter’s Amcha Israel, which Likud figures are unsure will clear the threshold, according to the report.
Tensions between Likud and Otzma Yehudit rose this week after Likud signed a surplus-vote agreement with Religious Zionism but not with Itamar Ben-Gvir’s party. Otzma Yehudit said the refusal was part of an effort to weaken it and keep Ben-Gvir out of a unity government Likud plans with Gadi Eisenkot. Netanyahu publicly praised lawmaker Simcha Rothman for his work against what he called a “judicial dictatorship.”
Ynet said Ben-Gvir is seeking to draw Likud voters, especially younger ones, and that lawmaker Tali Gottlieb’s move to Otzma Yehudit could also shift support. Shas, led by Aryeh Deri, is competing with Ben-Gvir’s party for traditional voters and younger supporters. Critical comments about Ben-Gvir by Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, including over visits to the Temple Mount, have circulated in recent days.
The opposition bloc is also fighting over voters. Yashar!, led by Gadi Eisenkot, has begun a text-message campaign and publicly invited Netanyahu to a debate. Ynet said this has worried Together and the Democrats, which fear losing supporters. Together, led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, is trying to win back voters who shifted to Eisenkot, particularly former Yesh Atid supporters. Its candidates have urged voters to look closely at list positions 15 and 16 as they argue for keeping lawmakers in the Knesset. Israel’s election for the 26th Knesset is scheduled for Oct. 27.