Bauer and Izankot to Run Separately After Polls Show No Joint Benefit

Negotiations between former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot to form a joint political list have concluded without an agreement, with both leaders deciding to run separately in the upcoming elections. The decision, reached after months of exploring political scenarios, was heavily influenced by a comprehensive poll.

The survey indicated that a joint run would not increase their electoral power and could potentially decrease it. Specifically, the poll suggested that 2% of voters who would support their joint bloc might instead shift their allegiance to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc if Bennett and Eisenkot ran together.

Despite the current decision, the possibility of a last-minute change remains open, as there are still two days left before the candidate lists must be finalized. Both Bennett and Eisenkot had shown willingness to compromise to facilitate a union. Bennett reportedly stated he would not be the one to prevent the merger, and Eisenkot was prepared to offer a generous arrangement to Bennett and Yair Lapid should a broader alliance materialize.

However, the electoral data presented to both sides did not demonstrate a significant advantage to running together, leading to the shelving of the joint venture for now. The prevailing direction, as of the report, is for Bennett and Eisenkot to prepare for separate electoral campaigns.