The Tally Gotliv test: Netanyahu's influence on Likud voters has reached the moment of truth

Strategic consultant and political commentator Barak Seri spoke this morning, Monday, with Gideon Oko and Aryeh Eldad on 103fm radio about the tension within the Likud party against the backdrop of the primaries taking place today. In addition, Seri addressed the "blunder" of a Channel 14 reporter that went viral last night on social media.

Seri addressed the issue of "deals" and reserved spots, claiming that the power of free voters is greater today: "There is more power for free voters. Once, the deals were stronger, they held 60%, and today it has flipped. Today there is 60%–70% for free voters and 30% for the deals. This is the reason why Haim Katz, the 'king of kings' of Likud deals, asked for a reserved spot. If the deals were so strong, he could have been elected through the deals. Here will be Netanyahu's big test."

Seri claimed: "Netanyahu has acted in recent days to harm the status of Nir Barkat, David Bitan, and Tally Gotliv. If he succeeds in pushing them down the list, then it will become clear that his power is also great among free voters, and if not, then they will come and say: we received high places even though Netanyahu worked against us."

Seri addressed the storm that arose yesterday between Yinon Magal and Tally Gotliv, claiming it is a byproduct of Netanyahu's briefings against her: "It is impossible to deny his work against them in a blatant way. The moment he briefs Yinon Magal, his people brief Amit Segal, and these things appear in the public sphere — it is clear that he wants to see them down the list. According to him, polls were presented showing that if Tally Gotliv and May Golan are in high places, Likud will lose 2–3 mandates."

Did Itamar Ben Gvir's words alarm Netanyahu? Seri went into the details of the briefings that Netanyahu conducted on Sunday: "Yinon Magal received a briefing from the people closest to Netanyahu. The whole story happened because of an interview I conducted yesterday on 103fm radio with Itamar Ben Gvir, where he said that 4 ministers and 4 MKs approached him. This caused panic in Netanyahu's office. So they claim that Tally Gotliv and May Golan need to be removed from the lists."

"Tally Gotliv, a quarter of an hour after that, explodes at Yinon Magal, makes personal claims against him, claims that it is a lie, and promises to act. May Golan follows her, and Yinon Magal answers that he received this from people close to Netanyahu. I don't think Netanyahu is telling the truth in the polls about Tally Gotliv. Netanyahu wants in the next term a group of even more sycophants, even more yes-men, and he is perhaps afraid because Tally Gotliv is not the woman who says yes the most in the world."

Seri also addressed the Channel 14 and Military Advocate General scandal. Recall that last night, Channel 14's evening edition aired a report in which an attempt was made to catch the former Military Advocate General, Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, on the street and ask her questions. The segment went viral after it was clear that it was a different woman, a neighbor, who was actually harassed by a Channel 14 reporter.

"This is a researcher's work, but it is very easy to blame it on the researcher," said Seri. "This documentation and this blunder, also the presentation of things with such excitement — first interview, chasing her, throwing questions at her while she doesn't answer... This passes through editors and reporter coordination until it finds itself at the opening of the Channel 14 edition." Seri clarified: "Such a shame has not been seen for a long time, not even on Channel 14."

Seri also attacked the response published on behalf of Channel 14 after the broadcast: "I want to draw attention to the response that is more ridiculous than the publication: that there is Yifat, she lives next to the former Military Advocate General, something with her husband... Whoever formulated the response is more ridiculous than whoever published the report."

Seri emphasized that he does not understand why Channel 14 did not do the simple thing and apologize: "What is simpler than saying there was a mistake, we are sorry for it, the issue is being checked so that such cases do not happen in the future. This is the response required for such a huge blunder. The response is more ridiculous and pathetic than the blunder itself."