Israeli "Change Bloc" Leaders Clash Over Strategy Ahead of Elections

With 40 days until the Israeli elections, tensions are escalating within the "change bloc" of parties aiming to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Gadi Eisenkot, a prominent leader within this bloc, has publicly criticized his partners, Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman, accusing them of "manipulation" and "harming the chances of victory." Eisenkot is demanding that Bennett and Lieberman unequivocally declare him the bloc's leader and candidate for prime minister, mirroring the unified front presented by Netanyahu's Likud party.

Eisenkot expressed frustration with Bennett and Lieberman's statements suggesting the prime minister would be decided after the election. He specifically targeted Lieberman, stating, "There is no way someone who gets 8 seats will be prime minister," implying Lieberman's party is too small to lead. Eisenkot also views Bennett and Lieberman's reported late-night meetings to attract right-wing voters to the change bloc as a potential maneuver to isolate him and possibly pave the way for a post-election alliance between Bennett and Lieberman that would sideline him.

Sources close to Eisenkot believe that Bennett's alliance with Yair Lapid has alienated right-wing voters, contributing to the narrowing gap in opinion polls between the two blocs. They claim that some right-wing voters have shifted to smaller parties, causing the change bloc's lead to shrink significantly.

Conversely, Bennett's camp argues that Eisenkot's repeated emphasis on forming a government at any cost, potentially with the support or abstention of Arab parties, has inadvertently bolstered Netanyahu's campaign. They contend that this narrative, which they claim has caused the change bloc's support to decline from 60-61 seats to 53-54, is driving away potential Likud defectors who are hesitant about a government reliant on Arab parties, especially after the October 7th attacks.

Lieberman, while also refusing to immediately name Eisenkot as the bloc's prime ministerial candidate, offers a tactical explanation. He believes such an announcement now would cause them to lose crucial votes to Netanyahu's bloc. Lieberman advocates for each party within the bloc to maximize its seat count by appealing to its core voter base, Golan for the left and Arab voters, Bennett for religious Zionists, and himself for Likud defectors, before consolidating their forces to achieve a majority of over 61 seats.