Netanyahu Set to Sign Surplus Agreement with Smotrich, Complicating Coalition Talks
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud party are expected to sign a surplus agreement with Religious Zionism chairman Bezalel Smotrich. This move complicates matters for Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is reportedly unwilling to sign a similar agreement with Ofer Winter's "Am Israel" party.
A surplus agreement allows parties to pool votes and potentially gain additional Knesset seats if they exceed the electoral threshold but fall short of the votes needed for a full seat. If Winter's "Am Israel" party fails to cross the electoral threshold, its votes will not be counted in the final seat allocation, which would significantly harm Ben-Gvir's electoral prospects.
The report suggests that Netanyahu's agreement with Smotrich is moving forward, potentially isolating Ben-Gvir and creating friction within the right-wing bloc ahead of the upcoming elections.
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