Yair Netanyahu Predicts Winter Will Support Lieberman, Urges Right-Wing Unity Ahead of Elections

Yair Netanyahu, son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been actively engaging on social media regarding the upcoming elections, focusing on the risks of right-wing parties running separately. On Thursday, he asserted that Ofir Winter's party will recommend Avigdor Lieberman for prime minister, calling it "quite clear."

Simultaneously, Yair Netanyahu urged Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of Otzma Yehudit, to unite with Bezalel Smotrich, head of the Religious Zionism party. He warned that failure to unite would be "playing Russian roulette with the country's fate," potentially enabling a government led by "the Muslim Brotherhood, Lieberman, Yair Golan, and Eizenkot." He also expressed skepticism about Smotrich passing the electoral threshold despite favorable polls.

Over the past two days, Yair Netanyahu has also addressed members of Winter's party. Responding to a poll showing Winter's party with eight seats, he compared it to Moshe Feiglin's 2019 campaign, which polled at 10 seats but failed to cross the threshold, weakening the right-wing bloc. He questioned Eran Ben Ari about the judicial policy direction under a potential government including Eizenkot, Lieberman, Golan, and the Muslim Brotherhood.

In a message to Lali Deri, a bereaved mother who joined Winter's party, Yair Netanyahu warned that separate runs by Winter and Smotrich could result in one or both failing to pass the threshold, which might lead to a government headed by Eizenkot, Golan, and Mansour Abbas. His statements underscore concerns about fragmentation on the right potentially enabling a left-leaning or Islamist-backed coalition.