Right-Wing Parties Urged to Unite for Election Victory

With just nine days remaining until the Knesset list submission deadline for the 26th Knesset, political commentator Yaakov Bardugo argues that the Israeli right-wing bloc must unite to secure victory in the upcoming elections. Bardugo criticizes the current state of the right as "scattered and fragmented," contrasting it with a seemingly organized left-wing bloc. He emphasizes that while the right's base is larger, "technical unions" and joint runs are crucial to prevent losing valuable votes due to "power plays and egos."

Bardugo specifically calls on leaders like Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Moshe Feiglin, and Ofer Winter to understand that a technical union does not require compromising ideology but is a mathematical necessity. He points to the 2022 elections, where the alliance between Ben-Gvir and Smotrich resulted in a "phenomenal" 64 mandates for the right-wing bloc, securing key positions in security and economy. Bardugo expresses low optimism, suggesting some leaders have become complacent after recent successes and are forgetting that "politics is primarily a game of numbers."

Drawing historical parallels, Bardugo warns against repeating past mistakes, citing the stubbornness of "Tehiya" and Rabbi Levinger in 1992, which he claims led to the Oslo Accords, and the mandate losses by Feiglin and Naftali Bennett in 2019 due to splits. He asserts that any leader who believes they can succeed running alone risks a "rerun of those political disasters." Bardugo dismisses attempts by figures like Gilad Erdan to create a new force as politically insignificant, suggesting Erdan might end up in a "tragic role" similar to Ayelet Shaked in the last election, potentially weakening the bloc without passing the electoral threshold.

Bardugo concludes by stating that the most important issues, including the ongoing conflict on "seven fronts," the future of the economy, and Israel's identity as a Jewish state, are at stake. He warns that a single mistake driven by overconfidence could lead to a "resounding failure," and that the next nine days will determine whether the right can maintain its power or hand over control to the left due to irresponsibility.