About two weeks before the list deadline: Eisenkot, Bennett, and Lapid's unity attempts return to the table
About two weeks before the election list deadline, unity attempts between Gadi Eisenkot (Yashar), Naftali Bennett, and Yair Lapid (Together) are back on the table. In closed talks, the feasibility of the move is being examined: whether a union would add mandates to the bloc and bring it closer to 61, or merely consolidate existing votes. Power dynamics have shifted, and Eisenkot, estimated at around 25 mandates, fears a large merger might actually scare off potential voters.
About two weeks before the deadline for closing election lists, unity attempts between Gadi Eisenkot (Yashar), Naftali Bennett, and Yair Lapid (Together) are back on the negotiating table. In closed discussions within both camps, the viability of the move is being analyzed: whether such a union could add mandates to the bloc and bring it closer to 61, or whether it would merely consolidate votes already within it. The balance of power has shifted compared to the stage when 'Together' was formed. Eisenkot, estimated at around 25 mandates with potential to grow toward 30, fears that a large merger might drive away right-wing voters he attracted from the former Likud. His associates argue that Bennett and Lapid could deter part of this audience. In previous tests, a three-way union received 37-41 mandates but did not increase the overall bloc and sometimes even shrank it. The leadership question also remains open: in polls, a list headed by Eisenkot received more than the same list headed by Bennett. Contacts continue, but each side comes with a different political calculation.