In a toast at a Zionist Camp party ahead of the Jewish new year, “Avi Gabbay stood on stage and announced that he will be the next prime minister of Israel, when just a minute earlier, we heard that a poll gave the Zionist Camp 11 seats." A Labor Knesset member told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, "It was ridiculous. It was so detached from reality.” The Sept. 5 event in Tel Aviv was supposed to be a festive occasion, but he described the mood as “gloomy.”

Gabbay, the chairman of the Zionist Camp, delivered a long speech, full of praise for a party on the rise. He spoke of a grass-roots mobilization on the party’s behalf and how before they knew it, he would be prime minister.

The fact is that the state of the Zionist Camp could not be any worse. Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Likud is strong and stable. The second largest party, according to the polls, is Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid, which is competing with Labor for the same voter base. While the Zionist Camp currently has 24 seats in the Knesset and is therefore the main opposition party, the political system has long treated it as a mid-sized party, if not smaller.

“Gabbay is the last thing to concern Netanyahu,” laughed another Zionist Camp Knesset member in a conversation with Al-Monitor. “Netanyahu is not even making any effort to defeat him. After all, Gabbay isn’t taking anything away from the Likud.”