Updated: 30 августа, 2026 1:02 пп
On the eve of the elections to the 26th Knesset in Israel, negotiations between political parties regarding possible alliances and the creation of joint electoral lists have intensified. Merger discussions, particularly among right-wing and center-right political forces, are in the spotlight.
Jnews.az reports that the deadline for submitting electoral lists has been set for September 8, 2026, at 22:00. After this date, the ability of parties to make changes to electoral blocs and candidate lists will be significantly restricted.
Ben-Gvir stated he is not ready to merge
The leader of the «Otzma Yehudit» party, Itamar Ben-Gvir, announced his intention to participate in the elections independently.
Against the backdrop of this stance, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Ben-Gvir and the leader of the Religious Zionism Party, Bezalel Smotrich, to begin talks on a possible merger. Smotrich also issued a call for unity in the national camp.
According to Israeli media reports, one of the main reasons for Netanyahu’s initiative is the risk that the Religious Zionism Party may fail to pass the electoral threshold. In recent polls, the party’s results fluctuate around the electoral threshold.
Other mergers are also being discussed in the right-wing camp
It is reported that other political forces in the right-wing and center-right camp are also discussing possible alliances.
In particular, possible cooperation between the new political initiative led by Gilad Erdan, «Kahol Lavan» led by Benny Gantz, and other political forces is on the agenda.
At the same time, reports have emerged that former defense minister Ayelet Shaked is also participating in talks among various center-right political forces.
Electoral threshold prompts parties to merge
One of the main reasons for negotiations between parties is the problem of passing the electoral threshold. Polls published on August 26 showed that a number of new and small political parties failed to reach the level required to enter parliament. This list includes «Am Yisrael» led by Ofer Winter, Moshe Feiglin’s «Zehut» party, and other political initiatives.
In addition, it is believed that possible mergers could significantly affect election results. Recent polls show that if various parties unite under one list, the potential strength of political blocs in parliament changes.
The deadline for submitting lists is approaching
The process of submitting candidate lists for the 26th Knesset elections in Israel will conclude on September 8.
The fate of possible alliances between parties must be finalized by this date. After that, the possibilities for creating new mergers and electoral blocs will be severely restricted.
