Israeli Parties Forge Alliances and Face Shake-ups Ahead of October Election

With Israel's Knesset elections scheduled for October 27, the political landscape is undergoing rapid transformations. New alliances are forming, lawmakers are switching parties, prominent figures are exiting the race, and smaller parties are struggling to overcome the electoral threshold. The key question remains which parties will successfully merge before the final list submission deadline and how many votes will be lost by those choosing to run independently.

On the right, Bezalel Smotrich's "Religious Zionism" and Moshe Feiglin's "Zehut" have agreed to run on a joint list, with Feiglin securing the second spot. Smotrich is also attempting to bring Ofer Winter's "Amcha Israel" and Itamar Ben-Gvir into the fold, driven by polls indicating several right-wing parties may fall short of the 3.25% electoral barrier. Prime Minister Netanyahu has reportedly pressured smaller parties to unite to prevent vote wastage. Winter, however, has refused, stating his party aims to offer a new political project.

In the center, former Likud officials Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstein have launched "Ha'Ihud" and are reportedly in talks to merge with Benny Gantz's "Kachol Lavan." This potential bloc aims to attract votes from the Likud, Yesh Atid, and parties led by former generals, with Erdan and Edelstein's move posing a challenge to Netanyahu's hold on moderate right-wing voters.

Gadi Eisenkot is building his "Yashar!" party, attracting defectors from other factions, including former Yesh Atid MK Elazar Stern. Another former Yesh Atid MK, Yoav Segalovich, has joined Ra'am. Meanwhile, a proposed joint list between Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett has not materialized.

Yesh Atid faces a significant personnel crisis, with several MKs, including Karin Elharrar, Mickey Levy, and Meir Cohen, announcing they will not seek re-election. While Elharrar will remain with the party to aid in the campaign, the departures necessitate a substantial renewal of Yesh Atid's list.

Separately, Nir Upetro's "Ale Yarok" and Sharen Haskel's "Yisrael Tze'la" are merging to advocate for cannabis legalization and reform. Former Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon has opted out of the parliamentary race, considering a return to municipal politics instead of forming another small party.

The coming days are critical as parties finalize their strategies. The political system is experiencing simultaneous fragmentation and consolidation, with alliances forming on the right and center, while parties like Yesh Atid undergo significant internal changes. The ultimate battle for Knesset representation will be decided in the days leading up to the list submission deadline.