Who against whom: The "mandate drinking" battles within the blocs

19 days to the 2026 elections, the campaigns within the blocs are in full swing. In the right-wing bloc: Netanyahu strengthens Smotrich and tries to curb Ben Gvir, who is working to attract Likud voters to him. Shas is fighting Ben Gvir over traditional voters, and Winter is in everyone's crosshairs. In the change bloc: Eisenkot appeals to Bennett and Lapid voters, while Together tries to win back votes from Eisenkot.

19 days remain until the elections for the 26th Knesset, and the campaigns within the blocs are in full swing, with mutual attempts to siphon mandates. In the right-wing bloc, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is focused on getting Likud voters to the polls, but also seeks to increase Likud's mandates at the expense of his partners. Netanyahu decided to strengthen Bezalel Smotrich and try to grow at the expense of Ofer Winter's party, due to a lack of trust in Winter. Regarding Itamar Ben Gvir, Netanyahu does not want Otzma Yehudit to grow too much and is trying to curb Ben Gvir's campaign, who in turn is trying to attract young Likud voters to him. The tension surfaced this week after Likud signed a surplus agreement with Religious Zionism and not with Otzma Yehudit. Shas, led by Aryeh Deri, is waging a battle over traditional voters against Ben Gvir, while disseminating statements by Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef against him. In the change bloc, Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar! has launched a large party campaign, while Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid's Together party is trying to win back votes from Eisenkot, emphasizing the quality of its slate.