Last-minute list submissions reshape Israeli election map
Hours before the deadline, new parties and internal splits threaten Netanyahu's coalition math.
Last-minute list submissions reshape Israeli election map — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a statement this evening (Tuesday) from Jerusalem, just hours before the deadline for submitting lists for the 26th Knesset closes at 22:00. He framed the election as a binary choice: "It's either a strong national government or a narrow left-wing government with the Arab parties."[^1] The urgency in his tone reflects a new Maariv poll showing his coalition dropping to 47 seats, while the Zionist opposition stands at 57 — potentially reaching 61 with the union between Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelicha, which barely passes with 4 seats.[^2] The fragmentation on the right is accelerating. Netanyahu announced six new slots in Likud, including figures like Yaakov Bardugo and Itzik Bunzel, a move that Walla interprets as a clear focus on mobilizing the right-wing base rather than an attempt to capture the political center.[^3] Meanwhile, Ofer Winter's 'Amcha Yisrael' drops to 2.8% and does not cross the electoral threshold, a landmine that could further erode the coalition math.[^4] The Haredi bloc is also fracturing: the Shlomei Emunim and Machzikei Hadas factions of the Belz Hasidic movement are splitting from United Torah Judaism in a technical move to preserve internal balance against the Gur dynasty's control of Agudat Yisrael, though they insist it is not a separate run.[^5] New entrants are scrambling for the center. Rafi Gint, a prominent media figure, hosted the launch of the "Yashar!" list led by former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, saying: "I saw what's happening in the country with all this mess, and I said I must do something for the first time."[^6] Yoaz Hendel launched a sharp public attack against Benny Gantz, calling on him to withdraw from the race — a sign that the center-left is cannibalizing itself even as polls suggest a path to 61 seats. The question now is whether the technical splits and last-minute entries are tactical adjustments or symptoms of a deeper coalitional collapse. Special-needs enlistment and aliyah amid war: Israeli society's crosscurrents — This morning, 11 students with special needs from the 'Mitarim' school in Holon, ag