Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video message Thursday evening calling on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to merge their parties into a single slate for the upcoming elections. The appeal comes exactly two weeks before the deadline for submitting party lists to the Knesset.
Israel Elections 2026
Netanyahu Pushes Right-Wing Unity
With two weeks until party lists close, Israeli Prime Minister warns nationalist leaders that division could cost them seats and hand victory to the opposition
Netanyahu explained the danger of a divided right wing. "They must unite. Every time we ran together, we won. When we ran separately, we lost," the prime minister said. He pointed to the 1992 elections as a cautionary tale: "In '92, the right had more votes than the left (just like today) but because there were three parties that didn't pass the electoral threshold, we lost. As a result, we got Arafat and Hamas, yes, and ongoing disasters. This can happen again this time."
Netanyahu said he understands "there are personal issues between them, but they need to overcome that." He pledged to take direct action, stating: "I will invite them in the coming days. We will make every effort to unite, and that's what the public expects from them—and rightly so." Israel's electoral threshold currently stands at 3.25% of the vote, meaning smaller parties risk losing all representation if they fail to cross it independently.
Netanyahu addresses Smotrich and Ben Gvir| צילום: Likud spokesperson
