Political Analyst Amit Segal Calls Netanyahu’s Alliance With Ultra-Orthodox Parties a Burden Ahead of Elections

Amid the escalating political tensions and mutual boycott declarations by party leaders ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections, political analyst Amit Segal of Channel 12 News provided an in-depth analysis of the candidates’ recent commitments and their underlying motivations. Segal focused particularly on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempts to distance himself from the contentious military conscription law and his alliance with ultra-Orthodox parties. He described Netanyahu’s relationship with these parties as a "monkey on his back," emphasizing that Netanyahu is currently unable to run a campaign without being tied to them, despite efforts to separate himself from the issue three months before the elections.

Segal stressed that the post-election reality will test these campaign declarations. He noted that if the right-wing bloc secures 61 seats, Netanyahu will likely reintegrate the ultra-Orthodox parties into his government and adopt policies favorable to them. Otherwise, the issue will lose relevance. Segal also addressed leaked information from a closed meeting of the Israel Beiteinu party, where Avigdor Lieberman declared that Yair Golan would not receive defense or justice portfolios. He linked this to Naftali Bennett’s recent statement refusing to sit with the Ra’am party, highlighting the tactical nature of these statements as attempts to appeal to right-wing voters.

Concluding, Segal explained that these declarations reflect current polling dynamics: Lieberman sees Golan as a liability for wavering right-wing voters, Bennett is wary of alliances with Mansour Abbas, and Netanyahu views the ultra-Orthodox parties as a heavy burden. He underscored that these tactical moves are designed to influence voter perceptions during the campaign rather than guarantee post-election outcomes.