Netanyahu Urges Right-Wing Parties to Unite Ahead of Election Deadline

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an aggressive push for right-wing parties to unite ahead of the upcoming election, appearing on the "HaPatriotim" program to leverage historical lessons and prevent vote dilution. Netanyahu emphasized the "political cannibalism" that could occur if parties fail to unite, potentially leaving him without a functional coalition. He believes the responsibility to ensure all votes cross the electoral threshold and secure a stable, compliant bloc now rests solely on his shoulders.

Drawing on the "trauma" of the 1992 election, where lost right-wing votes allegedly contributed to Yitzhak Rabin's victory, Netanyahu is pressuring potential coalition partners. He dismisses the notion that figures like Itamar Ben-Gvir or the newly joined Ofer Winter can attract votes from the center-left, asserting that only he, through the Likud party, can achieve this. Netanyahu's strategy is for smaller parties like those led by Bezalel Smotrich, Ben-Gvir, Winter, and Ze'ev Hezekiah (Feiglin) not to expand their reach, but simply to survive the electoral threshold.

Netanyahu's primary concern is "political cannibalism," where aggressive campaigning by Likud could cause smaller parties to fall below the 3.25% electoral threshold, leaving him with a large Likud but no viable coalition. He is advocating for any form of merger, from a broad "supermarket" of the right to smaller tactical alliances, to act as "mandate insurance." This would allow Likud to campaign freely without inadvertently harming its own electoral prospects.

A point of particular interest was Netanyahu's reserved treatment of Ofer Winter. While Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are established figures, Winter remains an unknown quantity. Netanyahu's silence suggests a lack of trust, fearing Winter's potential "professional arrogance" could lead him to run independently, fail to pass the threshold, or worse, siphon votes from other right-wing parties.

Netanyahu also refuted claims by Ben-Gvir that the Prime Minister desires a small "Jewish Power" party to facilitate future alliances with the left. Netanyahu stated that his government's stability and political, as well as legal, protection depend entirely on his natural partners being strong, united, and obedient. The "HaPatriotim" interview served as a final wake-up call, urging the right to return to reality: center votes belong to Netanyahu, and the task of the other parties is to secure their own right-wing mandates.