Likud pushes Netanyahu to reserve spot for Haddad amid fears of vote split

Senior officials within Israel's Likud party are actively pressuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure a reserved spot on the Likud's Knesset list for Arab-Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad. This move is driven by growing concerns that Haddad might align with Brig.-Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter, who is forming a new right-wing party, potentially fracturing the conservative vote.

The pressure stems from Likud's apprehension about a new political entity emerging on its right flank. Bringing Haddad into Likud is seen not only as a way to add a prominent public figure but crucially, to prevent him from joining Winter and bolstering a party that could siphon crucial votes from Likud and its allies.

Haddad has been actively exploring political avenues, including an application to register a new party named "Brave Israel," though his name is not on the official documents. He has also been engaged in discussions with Winter, who has been working to establish his own independent political platform and intends to run in the upcoming election separately.

Political observers are closely watching the ongoing talks between Winter and Haddad, anticipating whether an alliance will form. Likud officials are particularly worried about a scenario where Winter's party draws votes away from the right-wing bloc but fails to cross the electoral threshold, thereby weakening the entire political spectrum on the right. Recent polls have indicated that a Winter-led party could indeed attract support from these voter segments.