Lieberman urges Israel’s opposition to form electoral alliances
Yisrael Beiteinu leader and Knesset member Avigdor Lieberman has called on opposition forces seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form electoral alliances with small parties. According to him, the independent participation of such forces in the elections could result in their votes not being counted because they fail to cross the electoral threshold, The Jerusalem Post reports.
Risk of losing seats
Lieberman’s statement came ahead of the deadline for submitting party lists, which falls next week. According to polls, Benny Gantz’s Kahol Lavan party, Gilad Erdan’s Unity and Hili Tropper’s Zionist Home — Reservists are below the electoral threshold.
Lieberman said that these parties have no chance of crossing the threshold independently, but could cost the opposition camp three to four seats. He urged opposition leaders to make a final effort to form alliances. At the same time, Lieberman previously told The Jerusalem Post that his party’s participation in a political merger was not under consideration.
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Negotiations and party alliances
In addition to Yisrael Beiteinu, the opposition bloc includes Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar, Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad and Yair Golan’s Democrats. Responding to Lieberman’s call, Gantz reiterated his position on forming a broad Zionist government after the elections without relying on extremists. He said such a government should unite forces from different political camps.
Gantz and Erdan are reportedly holding talks on a possible electoral alliance. Meanwhile, Netanyahu has also called on small right-wing parties to unite with forces in his bloc, warning that their independent participation could harm the right-wing camp.
Finance Minister and Religious Zionism Party leader Bezalel Smotrich and Zehut party leader Moshe Feiglin have already agreed to run as a technical bloc. Smotrich’s party was polling near the electoral threshold, while Zehut failed to cross it in recent surveys. Israel’s electoral threshold is 3.25%. In the 2022 elections, the Meretz and Balad parties failed to cross it, so about 300,000 votes cast for them were not counted.
