The Netanyahu camp is facing a new worry ahead of the election: Ger chassidus, one of the largest groups within Agudat Yisrael, is showing no sign of mobilising its voters for election day.
The concern is that ongoing tension between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the chassidus's leadership will lead many chassidim to stay away from the polls altogether.
According to a report by Dafna Liel on Channel 12 Wednesday night, the Netanyahu camp fears a kind of "Italian strike" by the chassidus, no explicit call to boycott the election, but also none of the usual organisational push to get voters to the polls.
No campaign offices, no calls to vote
Unlike previous election cycles, Ger is barely engaged with the upcoming vote, the report said. The chassidic press has not published any significant calls to turn out, and campaign offices have yet to open.
The situation is raising alarm both within United Torah Judaism and in Netanyahu's circle, as Ger is credited with an electoral force of more than 30,000 votes, alongside influence over other chassidic groups.
But the concern does not end with abstention. The Netanyahu camp also worries that some Ger chassidim may choose to vote for the fringe party Tzeva Shachor, diverting votes to a list that may not cross the electoral threshold.
