Israeli Parties Rush to Finalize Slates Ahead of Election Deadline

With 50 days remaining until the upcoming elections, the political maneuvering window is closing as parties race to submit their candidate lists to the Central Elections Committee at the Knesset. The submission period, which began Monday at 1:00 PM, will conclude Tuesday at 10:00 PM, marking the final opportunity for mergers and adjustments.

Recent shifts, including Moshe Gafni's removal from Degel HaTorah and Hili Tropper's move to the opposition, have led to speculation about potential large-scale opposition alliances. However, political circles currently do not anticipate a major merger between Naftali Bennett and Gadi Eisenkot. Despite this, last-minute developments are still possible as parties face increasing pressure to consolidate and avoid vote wastage.

On the right, Ofer Winter faces continued pressure to join other factions, but his "Am Israel" party aims to submit its list independently on Monday to preempt last-minute changes. A potential alliance with Yaron Zelekha has been ruled out after Zelekha joined forces with Yoaz Hendel.

Within the Likud party, internal drama persists regarding reserved spots on the candidate list. Following initial refusals of offers, the party has postponed its central committee vote on these positions until Tuesday, leaving room for potential alterations.

Meanwhile, Benny Gantz is working to reassemble the "Blue and White" list, considering candidates such as Dedi Shacham, Shavut Ra'anan, Yuli Edelstein, and Roy Konkol. Following Tropper's departure and subsequent joining of Eisenkot's "Yashar!" party, Yoaz Hendel announced a joint run with Professor Yaron Zelekha, though Zelekha described it as a technical alliance.

Final lists for Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid's "Achdut" party, and Avigdor Lieberman's "Yisrael Beiteinu" party, were published, with former Transportation and Finance Ministry Director-General Keren Turner securing third place on Bennett's list. Once the submission deadline passes, the election campaign will shift from coalition-building to a direct contest for votes.