Israeli Parties Rush to Finalize Election Deals Ahead of Deadline
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
With 11 days until elections, Israeli parties are finalizing surplus vote agreements, crucial for mandate allocation. Five agreements are signed, including Likud-Religious Zionism and Shas-United Torah Judaism. Benny Gantz's National Unity Party and Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit remain without deals. A public dispute has emerged between Yoaz Hendel and Ofer Winter over failed negotiations, with conflicting accounts of who initiated and what conditions were set.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israeli parties must finalize surplus vote agreements by Friday, 11 days before the 26th Knesset elections.
- Five surplus vote agreements have been signed, including Likud with Religious Zionism and Shas with United Torah Judaism.
- Benny Gantz's National Unity Party is refusing to sign with any bloc-affiliated parties.
- Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit remains without a deal after Likud and Religious Zionism signed their own.
- Yoaz Hendel and Ofer Winter are publicly disputing the reasons for their failed surplus vote agreement negotiations.
With just 11 days remaining until the 26th Knesset elections, Israeli political parties are in the final stretch to secure surplus vote agreements, a crucial step that can influence the final seat allocation. The deadline for notifying the Central Elections Committee of these agreements is today, Friday. While most parties have already finalized their alliances, several prominent factions remain without a deal, and attempts to reach understandings have devolved into public political disputes.
Five surplus vote agreements have been signed so far. The Likud and Religious Zionism parties formed an alliance about ten days ago, leaving Itamar Ben-Gvir with a choice between a deal with Ofer Winter or running alone. Other signed agreements include those between "Yachad and Israel Beiteinu," "Yesh! and the Democrats," "Shas and United Torah Judaism," and a joint agreement between Ra'am and the Joint List in the Arab sector. Surplus vote agreements allow two lists to pool their excess votes for potential additional mandates, provided both lists pass the electoral threshold.
Benny Gantz, chairman of the National Unity Party, is also without a surplus vote agreement. His party stated they would not sign with any party belonging to a political bloc, explaining that Yoaz Hendel would align with the anti-Netanyahu bloc, while Yaron Zehlikha is expected to align with Netanyahu, potentially for the finance minister portfolio. This stance prevents them from signing with either side.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, chairman of Otzma Yehudit, also remains without a deal. Following the Likud-Religious Zionism agreement, his only remaining option was a deal with Ofer Winter's "People of Israel" party or running independently. Otzma Yehudit stated they had no other choice. Attorney Avraham Yustman, a member of the Central Elections Committee representing Agudat Yisrael, sharply criticized Ben-Gvir's decision not to sign with Winter, calling it "colossal stupidity" and noting that a deal between Winter and Hendel seemed futile as both might not pass the threshold.
The most prominent dispute in the last 24 hours is between Yoaz Hendel and Ofer Winter. They presented conflicting accounts regarding surplus vote negotiations. Hendel claimed that after inviting Winter to sign an agreement last week, Winter's side approached them yesterday but refused to commit to serving only in a "Zionist government" without ultra-Orthodox and Arab parties, leading to the decision not to sign. The "People of Israel" party denied Hendel's version, attacking his political history and stating that newcomers should not lecture them.
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