The deadline for parties to submit their final lists for the March 23 Knesset elections was 10 p.m. Feb. 4. By the time it arrived, it became clear that Netanyahu could take credit for two major tactical achievements, bringing him one step closer to victory.
The first was a decision by two groupings on the far right to join forces rather than to run separately. The Religious Zionist party, headed by former Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich, reached an agreement to run together with the coalition of Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) and Noam. The Otzma Yehudit-Noam coalition is headed by Attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir, an acolyte of the late nationalist-extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane. Otzma Yehudit has long been a symbol of racist extremism, and Noam is opposed to LGBT rights.
It is no secret that Netanyahu actively worked behind the scenes to ensure that this agreement would be signed. He even promised Smotrich and Ben-Gvir that he would include a candidate of their choosing in the Likud party list and ensure that their party received powerful positions in government and the Knesset committees. The one thing that Netanyahu was unable to do was to unite these two far right parties with another party on the right, the more established HaBayit HaYehudi [Jewish Home]. Yet while this party did not join forces with the Religious Zionist party and Otzma Yehudit-Noam, just the fact that these two groups decided to run together was important. If Smotrich and Ben-Gvir pass the electoral threshold, it would be a net gain of seats for Netanyahu.
The second achievement was no less dramatic, even though it occurred on the opposite side of the political spectrum. This involved the breakup of the Arab Joint List, which was made up of four smaller Arab parties. By running together under the leadership of Knesset member Ayman Odeh, the party won an impressive 15 seats in the last election, making it the third-largest party in the Knesset and a powerful force in Israeli politics. After the election, the grouping played a key role in efforts to remove Netanyahu by recommending to the president that Blue and White’s Benny Gantz be tasked with forming the next government. Netanyahu came very close to losing power because of the Joint List’s historic decision to play an active role in the political gamesmanship — a move the Arab parties had avoided for years.
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