Netanyahu Shifts Strategy Five Days Before Election, Targets Bennett
Translated & summarized from N12 by baba
Five days before the Israeli elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has initiated a "Big Party" campaign to consolidate right-wing votes and counter Ofer Winter. He has also shifted his strategy to attack Naftali Bennett, aiming to weaken Gadi Eisenkot's bloc. These moves come as Netanyahu seeks to absorb votes from smaller right-wing parties and manage the shifting political landscape in the final days of the campaign.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Prime Minister Netanyahu launched a "Big Party" campaign five days before elections to consolidate right-wing votes.
- Netanyahu is now attacking Naftali Bennett to weaken Gadi Eisenkot's political bloc.
- The "Big Party" strategy aims to prevent Ofer Winter from gaining significant support.
- Netanyahu's campaign shift allows him to directly appeal for votes to bolster the Likud party.
- Efforts continue to diminish smaller right-wing parties that could siphon votes from Likud.
With five days remaining until the Israeli elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has launched a "Big Party" campaign strategy aimed at consolidating right-wing votes and countering the rise of Ofer Winter. Simultaneously, Netanyahu is changing his approach towards Naftali Bennett, now attacking him to weaken Gadi Eisenkot's bloc, while continuing efforts to diminish smaller right-wing parties.
Netanyahu's shift to the "Big Party" campaign, previously avoided due to concerns about destabilizing other right-wing factions like Bezalel Smotrich's and maintaining good relations with Itamar Ben-Gvir, comes as Smotrich has strengthened in polls and Ben-Gvir remains stable. This change allows Netanyahu to directly appeal for votes to bolster the Likud party, with the primary goal of preventing Winter from gaining traction among right-wing voters. The Likud believes a direct appeal for a large governing party will be more effective than previous criticisms of Winter.
In parallel, the Likud has completely altered its stance on Naftali Bennett. After weeks of ignoring him, Netanyahu has begun directly addressing Bennett in social media posts, live broadcasts, and public speeches. While this appears to be an attempt to curb Bennett's growing support, which has reached 15 mandates in recent polls, the underlying strategy is more complex. Netanyahu aims to shift the balance of power within the opposition by focusing public attention on Bennett, thereby weakening Eisenkot, who has grown beyond initial expectations.
This direct confrontation with Bennett is also intended to destabilize the "Change Bloc," create leadership tensions, and split centrist-left votes in the final stretch. Beyond these maneuvers, Netanyahu continues to invest significant effort in combating smaller right-wing lists that could siphon votes. This includes a strong attack on Professor Yaron Zelekha, highlighting Netanyahu's ongoing efforts to eliminate potential rivals and consolidate as many mandates as possible for his own party before election day.
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