Religious Zionism and Identity Party Agree to Joint Run

Just before the deadline for submitting electoral lists, the Religious Zionism party, led by Bezalel Smotrich, and Moshe Feiglin's Identity party have reached an agreement to run together in the upcoming elections. Under the terms of the deal, Feiglin will receive four spots on the joint list, including the second, eighth, tenth, and eleventh positions. Following this announcement, efforts are expected to be made to also bring Ofer Winter's "Am Israel" party into the union. The parties emphasized that this is a technical bloc and not a merger of the parties themselves.

Political analysts report that Smotrich and Feiglin, along with other party officials, are heading to the Religious Zionism headquarters in Shoham after the agreement was finalized. Smotrich, who is also the Finance Minister, reportedly cut short a tour in southern Israel due to this significant political development.

The agreement comes amid broader calls from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for right-wing parties to unite to prevent votes from falling below the electoral threshold. Netanyahu had previously urged Itamar Ben-Gvir to unite with Smotrich, a call that was rejected. The recent polls showing a significant increase in support for Feiglin's party are believed to have strengthened the possibility of this union.

Negotiations between Smotrich and Feiglin had been progressing, with a key meeting taking place in Karnei Shomron the previous night where an agreement on the second spot in the list was reached. Prime Minister Netanyahu had publicly stressed the importance of consolidating right-wing parties, warning that independent runs, such as that of Ofer Winter, could potentially waste votes or cause other parties to fall below the threshold. Netanyahu had also offered Winter a spot in the Likud party.

Earlier attempts at unification within the right-wing bloc faced difficulties. Ben-Gvir had rejected Netanyahu's call for a tripartite meeting with Smotrich, stating his decision to run independently was final. Ben-Gvir's camp suggested that the public call for unity was a tactic to pressure Feiglin in his negotiations with Smotrich, accusing Netanyahu and Smotrich of staging a public call for unity with him to lower Feiglin's demands.