Likud Signs Surplus Agreement with Religious Zionism, Angering Otzma Yehudit
Translated & summarized from i24NEWS by baba
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Likud signed a surplus deal with Religious Zionism and Identity.
- Otzma Yehudit expressed anger at being excluded from the agreement.
- The decision aims to strengthen Religious Zionism and ensure it passes the threshold.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu led the deliberations for the agreement.
- An option for a deal with Ofer Winter was also considered and rejected.
The Likud party announced Tuesday it has signed a three-way surplus agreement with the Religious Zionism party and the Identity party ahead of the upcoming elections. The decision, made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after extensive deliberations, was aimed at strengthening Religious Zionism, ensuring it crosses the electoral threshold, and preventing a significant electoral risk compared to Otzma Yehudit.
The move has sparked anger within the Otzma Yehudit party, which released a statement expressing dismay. Otzma Yehudit views this as an effort to sideline them and prevent their inclusion in a future government.
This decision follows intense political consultations by Netanyahu, which also considered a surplus agreement with the "Am Israel" party led by Brigadier General (res.) Ofer Winter. This option presented a significant dilemma for the Prime Minister's office, as polls indicated Winter might not pass the electoral threshold. There was also concern that normalizing his candidacy would contradict campaign narratives suggesting he posed a risk to the bloc and lacked trust. The choice to partner with Religious Zionism and Identity has now resolved this dilemma.
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