Netanyahu's right-wing bloc strains as Likud slides, Eisenkot surges ahead of list deadline

Israel’s parties are racing to finalize their Knesset lists, and the deadline is exposing cracks across Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc. Likud, which once polled in the low 30s, has slipped toward 21 seats, while Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition list has emerged as the largest party in most surveys.

Netanyahu has urged right-wing voters not to support smaller parties. He has warned that divided votes could give the opposition the first opportunity to form a government. Much of that pressure is directed at a growing “third bloc” led by Ofer Winter’s new list, whose launch attracted large crowds and includes families bereaved on October 7. Activist Yoseph Haddad is listed at number two.

The right remains divided. Itamar Ben-Gvir has rejected a merger with Bezalel Smotrich, while Eisenkot is negotiating with Benny Gantz on the center-left. The political reshuffling is unfolding as parties prepare to lock in their final lists early next week.

Another possible shift involves Mansour Abbas. He is running Ra’am alone and is expected to place a Jewish former police chief at number two, which would be a first for the party and could position it as a potential coalition partner. The discussion also includes Naftali Bennett, who recently softened his position on a pardon for Netanyahu if Netanyahu leaves politics, while ruling out joining a government led by him.