Netanyahu Launches Strategic Campaign Against Small Right-Wing Parties Ahead of Elections

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has initiated a strategic campaign warning right-wing voters against supporting small parties that might fail to cross the electoral threshold. In a video released on Monday, Netanyahu cautioned that splitting the right-wing vote could lead to losing seats and enable the left to return to power. He referenced the 1992 elections, when right-wing voters' fragmentation contributed to the defeat of Yitzhak Shamir's government and the subsequent rise of the left, linking that outcome to the Oslo Accords and the establishment of Palestinian entities in Gaza and the West Bank. Netanyahu emphasized the severe consequences, including thousands of casualties, that followed.

The prime minister urged voters not to waste their votes on minor parties, describing such votes as effectively thrown away and warning that this would guarantee a left-wing victory, which he called a disaster for Israel. He also criticized political opponents and warned against forming a government including figures like Gadi Eizenkot, Yair Golan, Mansour Abbas, and Avigdor Lieberman, claiming they would quickly capitulate and impose a fascist regime.

This campaign comes amid speculation about the right-wing bloc's configuration for the upcoming 2026 elections. Netanyahu is reportedly close to deciding whether the right-wing should run with only three parties, Likud, Otzma Yehudit, and Religious Zionism, or if a fourth party, such as the one being formed by Ofer Winter, should be included. The concern remains that adding another party could risk votes being wasted if any fail to pass the threshold, potentially harming the right-wing's overall electoral strength.

Netanyahu's campaign reflects his effort to consolidate right-wing votes to prevent a repeat of past electoral fragmentation that benefited the left, underscoring the high stakes of the upcoming elections for Israel's political future.