Netanyahu Shifts Strategy, Launches "Big Party" Campaign Five Days Before Election
Translated & summarized from Mako by baba
Five days before Israeli elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a "Big Party" campaign to consolidate right-wing votes and block Ofer Winter. He also changed strategy to attack Naftali Bennett, aiming to weaken Gadi Eisenkot and destabilize the opposition. Netanyahu is also working to eliminate smaller right-wing parties to maximize Likud's vote share.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Prime Minister Netanyahu launched a "Big Party" campaign five days before elections to consolidate right-wing votes.
- The campaign aims to block Ofer Winter by convincing right-wing voters that only Likud guarantees the camp's future.
- Netanyahu is now attacking Naftali Bennett to weaken Gadi Eisenkot and destabilize the opposition.
- Netanyahu previously avoided a "Big Party" campaign for fear of harming other right-wing parties.
- The strategy shift comes as Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir have shown poll stability and growth.
- Netanyahu also continues efforts to eliminate smaller right-wing parties to prevent vote loss.
With five days remaining until the Israeli elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has initiated a "Big Party" campaign strategy aimed at consolidating right-wing votes and countering the rise of Ofer Winter. This marks a significant shift, as Netanyahu had previously avoided such a campaign for fear of destabilizing other right-wing parties, particularly Bezalel Smotrich's faction and Itamar Ben-Gvir's party. However, with Smotrich's recent surge in polls and Ben-Gvir's stability, Netanyahu now perceives a safe window to draw votes back to Likud.
The primary objective of this new campaign is to block Ofer Winter, as Likud strategists believe direct appeals for a "big governing party" will be more effective with Winter's potential voters than previous warnings about him potentially joining Avigdor Lieberman or the "change bloc." The goal is to convince right-wing voters that only a vote for Likud guarantees the future of the right-wing camp, thereby eroding Winter's support at a critical juncture.
Concurrently, Netanyahu has altered his approach towards Naftali Bennett, moving from complete disregard to direct engagement. This tactic is designed not only to counter Bennett, who has seen a rise in polls, but more strategically to weaken Gadi Eisenkot. Netanyahu aims to focus public attention on Bennett, thereby strengthening him at Eisenkot's expense, as Eisenkot has grown beyond initial expectations. This direct confrontation with Bennett also seeks to destabilize the "change bloc," create leadership tensions within it, and split centrist-left votes.
In addition to these shifts, Netanyahu continues to actively work against smaller right-wing lists that could siphon votes. He has publicly criticized Professor Yaron Zelekha, among others, demonstrating a continued effort to eliminate potential right-wing candidates and parties like Winter and Zelekha to prevent vote loss and maximize Likud's mandate.
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