Likud Targets Ben Gvir and Minor Factions in Final Election Stretch
With two weeks until the Knesset elections, Likud is targeting Otzma Yehudit, Ofer Winter, and Yoaz Hendel's faction while boosting turnout to secure the right-wing bloc.
With approximately two weeks remaining until the Knesset elections, the ruling "Likud" party has outlined its core strategy for the final stretch. The plan involves boosting voter turnout in party strongholds, intensifying attacks against the "Amcha Yisrael" party led by Ofer Winter and the reserve soldiers' and economic movement led by Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelecha to prevent them from crossing the electoral threshold, and opening an additional front against right-wing bloc partner Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of "Otzma Yehudit".
Alongside efforts to prevent vote loss to smaller parties, "Likud" is formulating a targeted campaign aimed at winning back voters who shifted to "Otzma Yehudit" and reducing the party's parliamentary weight. This move runs parallel to a separate struggle waged by "Shas" over traditional and young voters who drifted toward Ben Gvir.
Internal "Likud" polling data indicates that "Otzma Yehudit's" potential support could reach 12 to 15 mandates. "Likud" seeks to curb Ben Gvir's momentum and return his party to what strategists define as its natural size—seven to eight mandates at most.
Coalition Dynamics and Intra-Bloc Rivalry
"Likud" officials do not anticipate that all mandates lost by "Otzma Yehudit" will automatically transfer to them. The assessment is that votes will distribute across several right-wing factions, including "Likud", "Shas", and potentially Bezalel Smotrich's "Religious Zionism". Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aims to strengthen "Likud" ahead of forming the next government while preserving the broader coalition's aggregate strength.
"Shas" has likewise identified a voter leakage toward "Otzma Yehudit", particularly among youth and traditional constituencies. The party resolved to combat Ben Gvir's influence through rabbinical authorities, including public statements from Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, who criticized Ben Gvir's actions regarding Temple Mount visits and recent yeshiva student arrests.
Targeting Smaller Factions
Concurrently, "Likud" continues its offensive against Ofer Winter and the Hendel-Zelecha ticket, which party estimates suggest siphon approximately three mandates from the right-wing bloc. Netanyahu urged party members during faction meetings to focus efforts on neutralizing these smaller lists.
As the campaign enters its final fortnight, "Likud" remains focused on mobilization, preventing vote wastage, and managing the intra-bloc balance to secure a stable coalition majority following the October 27 vote.
