Israel Election Countdown: Parties Forge Alliances Amidst Last-Minute Deals
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
With 11 days until the Israeli elections, parties are rushing to sign surplus vote agreements, crucial for maximizing Knesset seats. Several major parties, including Blue and White and Otzma Yehudit, are without deals, sparking political friction. A key dispute involves Yoaz Hendel and Ofer Vinter, who presented conflicting accounts of their failed negotiations for a surplus vote pact. The deadline for these agreements is Friday, with their impact contingent on parties crossing the electoral threshold.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israeli parties are finalizing surplus vote agreements ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections, with a Friday deadline.
- Several prominent parties, including Blue and White and Otzma Yehudit, have not yet secured surplus vote pacts.
- A public dispute has emerged between Yoaz Hendel and Ofer Vinter over the breakdown of their surplus vote negotiations.
- Surplus vote agreements allow parties to combine leftover votes to potentially gain additional Knesset seats.
- The effectiveness of these agreements depends on both participating parties successfully passing the electoral threshold.
With just 11 days remaining until the 26th Knesset elections, Israeli political parties are finalizing their strategies, particularly regarding surplus vote agreements. These agreements, which allow parties to pool leftover votes to potentially gain extra mandates, must be registered with the Central Elections Committee by the end of Friday. While most parties have secured these pacts, several prominent ones, including Blue and White and Otzma Yehudit, remain without a deal, leading to public disputes.
Several surplus vote agreements have already been signed. Likud and Religious Zionism formed an alliance ten days ago. Yachad and Israel Beiteinu, as well as Yahad and HaDemocratim, also signed agreements. As is customary, Shas and United Torah Judaism have an agreement, and in the Arab sector, Ra'am and the Joint List have partnered. These agreements are only effective if both participating parties pass the electoral threshold.
Blue and White, led by Benny Gantz, has stated it will not sign agreements with parties belonging to either political bloc. The party claims Yoaz Hendel will align with anti-Netanyahu factions, while Yaron Zehlikha is expected to seek a position in a Netanyahu-led government. Otzma Yehudit, headed by Itamar Ben-Gvir, is also without a surplus vote agreement after Likud and Religious Zionism joined forces. Ben-Gvir was left with the option of an agreement with Ofer Vinter's Am Israel party or running alone.
Avraham Yustman, a member of the Central Elections Committee, criticized Ben-Gvir's decision not to form an agreement with Vinter, calling it "colossal stupidity." Yustman also expressed doubt about the viability of an agreement between Vinter and Hendel, suggesting neither party would likely pass the electoral threshold.
The most prominent dispute involves Yoaz Hendel and Ofer Vinter. Hendel claimed Vinter's party approached them for an agreement but refused to commit to a "Zionist government" excluding Haredi and Arab parties, leading Hendel to reject the deal. Am Israel denied making any overtures and criticized Hendel's political history, accusing him of shifting between eight parties in the past decade.
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