Lapid and Golan Clash with Eisenkot Over Election Strategy
Translated & summarized from Srugim by baba
Opposition leader Yair Lapid and Democrats Party chairman Yair Golan have publicly criticized Gadi Eisenkot's "Big Party" election campaign, calling it a dangerous and misleading tactic. They argue that votes for parties failing to pass the electoral threshold are lost and do not transfer to the largest party. Lapid cited the 2022 election loss as a lesson, while Golan warned of a weakened bloc. Golan directly appealed to Eisenkot to cooperate, referencing their shared military past.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Yair Lapid and Yair Golan criticized Gadi Eisenkot's "Big Party" election campaign as misleading.
- Lapid explained votes for parties below the threshold are lost, not transferred to the largest party.
- Golan warned the campaign weakens the "change bloc" and recalled a similar strategy led to a 2022 loss.
- Lapid urged voters to support any party within the bloc, as all votes are equally valuable.
- Golan appealed to Eisenkot to work together, drawing parallels to their IDF service.
Ahead of the upcoming elections, a sharp dispute has erupted within the "change bloc" regarding campaign strategies. Opposition leader Yair Lapid and Democrats Party chairman Yair Golan have strongly criticized Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the "Yashar!" party, over his recent "Big Party" campaign. Lapid stated that the campaign's claim that votes for smaller parties "go up" to the largest party in the bloc is factually incorrect and misleading. He explained that votes for parties failing to pass the electoral threshold are lost and do not benefit any other party, including the largest one. Lapid recalled the 2022 elections, where the fall of the Meretz party, by a narrow margin, allegedly cost the bloc seats. He warned that this time, lost votes could grant the opposing bloc two mandates, compared to four in 2022, although he noted that all parties in their bloc are currently expected to pass the threshold and have surplus agreements.
Lapid further clarified that Israeli election law does not favor the "biggest party" in forming a government; the president assigns the task to the candidate with the most Knesset member recommendations and the best chance of forming a coalition. He urged voters to cast their ballots for the party they believe in within the bloc, emphasizing that every vote holds equal weight. Lapid suggested that the author of the misleading message either misunderstood the electoral system or intentionally misled the public.
Golan, while acknowledging Eisenkot as a worthy leader, directly called the "Big Party" campaign a dangerous lie intended to weaken the Democrats and the broader bloc. He argued that a bloc without strong Democratic representation is vulnerable and could disintegrate under pressure. Golan reminded that Lapid led a similar "Big Party" campaign in the previous elections, which they lost. He appealed to Eisenkot to collaborate rather than work against each other, drawing a parallel to their past service in the IDF.
