Israeli Right-Wing Parties Forge Alliances Ahead of Election Deadline

With less than a week remaining before the submission of electoral lists, negotiations for potential alliances and mergers are intensifying on Israel's right-wing political spectrum. Ofer Winter's "Amcha Yisrael" party has firmly rejected any possibility of uniting with the newly announced Smotrich-Feiglin bloc, stating their intention is to bring about change, not maintain the status quo. This comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly promoting a proposal that would allocate reserved spots within other parties for four members of Winter's list: two for Likud, potentially including activist Yusuf Haddad and former journalist Netali Shem-Tov, and two for the "Zionut Datit"-"Zeut" bloc.

Bezalel Smotrich and Moshe Feiglin recently announced their decision to form a joint list for the upcoming elections, with Smotrich calling it the first of many such unions in the right-wing camp. They have expressed a desire to include Winter in their list, reportedly offering him the second spot on the slate, pushing Feiglin to third.

During a meeting with leading religious Zionist rabbis on September 2nd, Netanyahu urged smaller parties to unite or withdraw from the race. Concurrently, discussions are ongoing regarding the potential move of Likud MK Tali Gottlieb to Itamar Ben-Gvir's "Otzma Yehudit" party. Both Likud and Otzma Yehudit support the transfer, but terms remain unresolved. Ben-Gvir is seeking Netanyahu's official approval for Gottlieb's move to secure her Knesset funding, while Netanyahu reportedly conditions his consent on Ben-Gvir reserving a spot for another candidate from smaller parties unlikely to pass the electoral threshold. Channel 12 reported that Ben-Gvir wants these negotiations concluded by September 2nd, fearing prolonged discussions will increase pressure on his party.