Israeli Election Campaign Heats Up With Coalition Maneuvering and Opposition Strategy

With 23 days remaining until the election, both the ruling coalition and the opposition are preparing for the final stretch of the campaign and potential post-election coalition scenarios. Within the Likud party, discussions continue regarding the party "Am HaYisrael," with differing opinions among Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's advisors. Some believe Winter's party, even if it crosses the electoral threshold, would not be a reliable coalition partner, while others argue against direct attacks, fearing it might alienate potential Likud voters. A separate discussion within Netanyahu's circle concerns the possibility of forming a national unity government with the Yashar party after the elections. Likud Knesset candidate Eli Goldschmidt stated on October 4 that he does not rule out such a government, suggesting Yashar's leader Gadi Eisenkot could serve as defense minister. However, Eisenkot himself categorically rejected the idea of a rotational government with Likud in a recent interview.

Meanwhile, the opposition is preparing for a scenario where no bloc secures 61 mandates. According to Maariv, opposition parties are planning a two-stage plan to change power. The first stage involves replacing the Knesset speaker and forming committees led by opposition members. In the second stage, the opposition intends to pass a law barring individuals indicted for criminal offenses from serving as prime minister. This law would be advanced with the support of Arab parties, after which coalition negotiations would commence, potentially including Likud, Maariv reported.

Internal conflicts persist within the opposition bloc. Yair Golan, head of HaDemocratim, stated his intention to continue efforts to form a government that includes the Ra'am party, dismissing concerns about such a coalition. This statement drew sharp criticism from Avigdor Lieberman, head of Yisrael Beiteinu, who called Golan's remarks unrealistic and driven by a desire to regain support from Arab voters after Golan voted to disqualify Sami Abu Shehadeh. Lieberman asserted that a government with Arab parties would not materialize.