Israeli Opposition Parties Clash Over Strategy Ahead of Elections

As the current prime minister is the sole candidate for the next government among coalition parties, the "Change Bloc" opposition parties are engaged in internal ego battles to determine a unified candidate to face Netanyahu on October 27. Recent polls have surprised the leaders of these parties, sparking mutual accusations. For the first time, the opposition has fallen below the 61-seat majority threshold without relying on Arab parties, despite consistently holding an advantage previously. While Netanyahu has not moved closer to forming a government, the opposition parties have drifted further from their goal of independently forming a Zionist government.

The polls indicate that the Likud party is declining, and Gadi Eisenkot's "Yashar!" party is holding steady. However, the overall trend for the opposition blocs is negative. Parties like Smotrich's Religious Zionism and Ofer Winter's "Am Israel" party have successfully passed the electoral threshold, bolstering Netanyahu's bloc at the expense of rivals. Eisenkot is betting on a "big party" campaign, believing a larger gap between him and Netanyahu will grant him momentum and legitimacy to form the next government and break the existing political deadlock.

However, former leaders Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Liberman, and Yair Lapid disagree, arguing for strengthening the bloc rather than a single dominant party, which they fear could end up as the largest opposition force. They point to "Yesh Atid" being the largest party in the "Change Bloc" in the last election as evidence. They also believe Eisenkot's strategy would have been more effective if he had united with Bennett and Lapid, similar to past alliances like "Blue and White."

Eisenkot recently criticized his potential partners, calling their tactics "old politics of petty tricks" and stating that a rotation government is not on the table. He believes their approach harms their chances of winning. Liberman's party, in response, suggested Eisenkot is under pressure and questioned his potential partners, hinting at a possible reliance on the Ra'am party. Meanwhile, Yair Golan urged party leaders to set aside differences. The outcome remains uncertain as Bennett, Lapid, and Liberman continue to warn Eisenkot about the risks of his "big party" strategy, which they believe could cost them seats.