Israeli Parties Rush to Form Alliances Before Election Deadline

With just six days remaining until the deadline for submitting Knesset lists, Israeli political parties are scrambling to finalize alliances and avoid losing votes below the electoral threshold. On the right, Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism party and Moshe Feiglin's Zehut have agreed to run together as a technical bloc, with Feiglin's party receiving four spots on the joint list. The immediate focus now shifts to potentially bringing Ofer Winter and his "Am Israel" party into this union, though Winter has expressed reservations about joining existing politicians.

Meanwhile, Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party is currently pursuing an independent run, having consistently polled above the electoral threshold. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly urged parties on the right to unite, fearing a repeat of past elections where significant votes were lost. The Likud party itself is dealing with internal disputes following its primaries, including a controversy over vote counting that has affected ministerial placements.

On the center-left, Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett have already merged their parties into the "Achva" (Together) list. Efforts are underway to potentially expand this bloc, with Gadi Eisenkot's party being eyed as a possible addition. Other parties like Benny Gantz's National Unity, Hili Tropper and Yoaz Hendel's "Zionist Home - Reservists," and Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstein's "Achdut" are also facing pressure to form broader alliances as they struggle to meet the electoral threshold in polls.

The Arab political sphere is also seeing attempts to consolidate, aiming to prevent vote wastage. However, Mansour Abbas's Ra'am party is pursuing a separate strategy, seeking to broaden its appeal, even attracting former Yesh Atid MK Yoav Segalovitz to its list. The overarching concern across the political spectrum is the electoral threshold, estimated at around 160,000-170,000 votes, which could disenfranchise tens of thousands of voters if parties fail to cross it.