While Naftali Bennett has widespread support on paper, his success in Israel’s next election is far from guaranteed, especially since most of his potential supporters have never actually voted for him.
Bennett, however, has a plan to solve this, which I explored in my Shabbat column for Israel Hayom, an excerpt of which is below.
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One of the tired clichés that will return to Israelis’ lives with the start of the election season, alongside vote splitting, is about voters who “park” with this candidate or that party, but could drive away at any moment.
Even before the campaign has begun, it’s already clear that there has never been a parking lot as big and as active as the one in Israel’s center-right. If Benny Gantz can lose 1.5 million voters in the polls within 18 months, dropping from 37 seats to zero, that’s not even short-term parking. It’s more like pulling in for a quick stop and driving right back out.
Now, about a million voters are listed with Naftali Bennett. The former prime minister’s campaign is only seemingly against Benjamin Netanyahu, but in reality, it’s against time. Two months ago, he polled at 27 seats; in a survey this week, he was down to 20. Every passing day is a major risk when you’re trying to hold onto shifting sands that can slip away at any moment — especially since most of his potential supporters have never actually voted for him.
Nevertheless, Bennett believes his supporter base is far more stable than Gantz’s. As proof, he points out that for the past year, he has been the largest opposition party in every poll. There is, however, one thing that could lock in those 20 seats and perhaps even bump the number up: an announcement from Gadi Eisenkot that he will run under the “Bennett 2026” slate.
Indeed, Bennett is aiming for a three-way alliance with Eisenkot and Avigdor Liberman — one on the left flank, one on the right — each compensating for the other’s electoral weaknesses. That won’t decide the election results, but it will certainly settle the matter within the opposition bloc.
But Eisenkot isn’t in a rush. Why should he be? He’s only been rising in the polls since leaving Gantz’s party nearly two months ago. Indeed, the gap between him and Bennett has shrunk to just eight seats. And while Eisenkot isn’t obsessed with becoming Israel’s next prime minister, it’s certainly an option.
So, when will we know which path Eisenkot is taking? Some people were promised he’d give an answer “after the [Jewish] holidays,” which end mid-October. His associates, however, clarified: not just after the holidays — only on the day the candidate lists close, and not a minute sooner.
Until then, he, Yair Golan, and Yair Lapid will run low-key campaigns aimed at cutting Bennett down. The in-depth polling focuses on him far more than on Netanyahu. The goal: to take Bennett down quietly, without drawing too much attention.
