Ayelet Shaked Warns Partners About Difficulty Crossing Electoral Threshold in Joint List Talks

During ongoing negotiations between Benny Gantz, Dudi Simchi, Yuli Edelstein, and Ayelet Shaked about forming a joint electoral list, Shaked issued a clear warning to her partners about the significant challenge of running independently in elections. She emphasized that her colleagues underestimate the difficulty of surpassing the electoral threshold, drawing from her own experience. "You have not tried to run alone. I have," Shaked told them, highlighting the complexity of mobilizing a voter base and the high risk of failing to cross the threshold.

Shaked’s caution stems from her personal political history. In the 2019 elections, she and Naftali Bennett left the Jewish Home party to establish the New Right party. Despite strong starting positions and favorable polls, the party failed to pass the threshold. Similarly, in the 2022 elections, Shaked led the Jewish Home party but again did not secure Knesset representation.

She noted that the current political landscape is even more challenging, with multiple figures and political frameworks, including Gilad Erdan, Yoaz Hendel, and Hili Tropper, competing for the same voter base. This fragmentation complicates any attempt to form a new list capable of crossing the threshold.

The warning comes amid continuing talks that have yet to yield agreements. Key issues under discussion include leadership roles, list composition, and the ability to build significant political power without losing votes below the threshold, a scenario all parties are keen to avoid.