Netanyahu and Smotrich Launch Initiative to Boost Right-Wing Voter Turnout

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister Bezalel Smotrich are set to launch a new initiative aimed at increasing voter turnout for the right-wing bloc in the upcoming elections. The plan involves establishing a network of thousands of activists who will work to mobilize tens of thousands of right-wing voters to cast their ballots. This effort is a joint venture between the Likud and the Religious Zionism parties.

The initiative, titled "Saving the Right," will commence with a small gathering for dozens of senior rabbis and institutional leaders on Thursday. The campaign's operations will be led by campaign managers Tzviqa Brodt for Likud and Omer Rachamim for Religious Zionism, with Yisrael Gantz heading the overall staff for the parties. This collaboration signifies a high degree of coordination between Netanyahu and Smotrich, mirroring their cooperation during the ongoing war.

Notably, the initiative appears to exclude the Otzma Yehudit party and its leader, Itamar Ben-Gvir. While the event's focus on grassroots activism might be seen as a poor fit for Otzma Yehudit's target audience, the exclusion is further emphasized by Netanyahu's failure to invite prominent supporters of the party, such as Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, whose son Amichai Eliyahu is a minister from Otzma Yehudit. This has reportedly raised concerns within Otzma Yehudit that Netanyahu intends to sideline them.

Otzma Yehudit members reportedly feel marginalized, citing the recent surplus agreement between Likud and Religious Zionism as another signal of this. They also point to Netanyahu's avoidance of joint appearances with Ben-Gvir as further evidence of this perceived snub. The article mentions a separate incident where Ben-Gvir met with Islamic Jihad operatives who complained about their conditions, though no credit is given for this information.