Netanyahu and Gideon Sa'ar Coordinate a Split and Possible Reunification Before Elections

Behind the scenes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar are coordinating a political maneuver that would split New Hope from Likud now and potentially merge the two lists again later, at a higher political cost. The article says the goal is to improve each side’s bargaining position before the candidate lists are finalized, with the election about four months away.

According to the report, Netanyahu wants the temporary split because he has not been able to secure enough reserved spots, or “shiryuonim,” for his preferred candidates within the current Likud list. He is dissatisfied with the list as it stands and believes it is harming Likud, while adding another list would give him room to place additional allies.

Sa'ar, for his part, is seeking more reserved slots for his own party. The report says what had been portrayed in recent days as Sa'ar possibly being pushed aside by Netanyahu is actually a coordinated move between them. The arrangement would allow the parties to separate first and then reunite later as a single list.

At the same time, Netanyahu is also working to bring together Bezalel Smotrich and Ofer Winter politically, but sources say those contacts are running into difficulties, including concern that other coalition figures could be squeezed out of the lists. For now, the effort to reorganize the Netanyahu bloc continues, with the parties moving toward a split now and a more expensive merger later.