Netanyahu Looks Ahead, Weighs Coalition Options After Election

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, encouraged by preliminary election results showing his Likud party as the largest in the Knesset, is focusing on future strategy and coalition building. Unlike in past elections, Netanyahu did not immediately contact his bloc partners on election night or the following day. Instead, he analyzed data and conveyed a public message in his election night speech that they are part of his future plans. This deviation from his usual practice is likely due to his desire to maintain maneuvering room and to quickly solidify his position to secure the mandate from President Yitzhak Herzog, while also preventing the "change bloc" from taking unilateral actions against him.

Netanyahu is currently exploring the possibility of bringing a party from the opposing bloc into a coalition to prevent repeat elections. Senior Likud ministers had previously suggested seeking partnerships with right-wing figures like Avigdor Lieberman and Naftali Bennett. However, the assessment is that both Lieberman and Bennett would refuse to join a government led by Netanyahu under any circumstances, though public pressure could influence their decisions.

Emissaries, likely from Netanyahu's side, are expected to approach these former partners in the coming days to gauge the possibility of cooperation and forming an alternative government. The focus of these efforts and potential offers is on Lieberman and Bennett. Concurrently, Netanyahu is planning a broad public campaign against the "change bloc" and its intention to control the Knesset speaker position and its apparatus using votes from Arab parties. The "change bloc" anticipates an aggressive campaign from Netanyahu against anyone cooperating with his moves, and they are preparing strategies to undermine coalition efforts and encourage abstentions on key votes.