Netanyahu and Gideon Sa'ar Coordinate a Split Now, Reunion Later for Election Leverage

Behind the scenes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar are coordinating a political plan ahead of the election that would first split New Hope from Likud, then bring the factions back together later as one joint list. The report says the goal is to improve both leaders' bargaining positions before the candidate slates are finalized.

According to the article, Netanyahu wants the split because he has not been able to secure enough reserved spots for his own people on the current Likud slate, which he believes is hurting the party. By adding another list into the alliance, he could place more of his preferred candidates.

Sa'ar, for his part, is seeking additional reserved places for his party. The article says this is not a case of Netanyahu sidelining Sa'ar, as some had speculated, but a coordinated move between the two. The arrangement would allow them to separate now and merge again later at a higher political price.

The report also says Netanyahu is simultaneously working to engineer a political link between Bezalel Smotrich and Ofer Winter. Those talks are facing difficulties, in part because other coalition figures fear they could be pushed down the lists. With about four months left until the election, Netanyahu is trying to stabilize his bloc and may also seek reserved spots for candidates from other parties.