Overview
- Two polls released Sunday produced sharply different pictures of the race with a Kantar/Kan survey showing Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar leading and Ofer Winter’s Amcha Yisrael clearing the threshold while a Channel 14 poll gave Likud a much larger lead, underlining deep methodological divergence.
- Former police major general Yoav Segalovitz formally joined the United Arab List (Ra’am) on Monday as a high‑placed candidate, a move that could make Ra’am more acceptable to some opposition partners and change coalition arithmetic.
- Religious Zionism and Zehut announced a technical alliance on Tuesday with Bezalel Smotrich and Moshe Feiglin running together to consolidate far‑right votes and reduce the risk of lists failing to pass the cutoff.
- Likud officials have opened talks to absorb or neutralize Winter’s new party by offering slate spots and concessions while Winter has rejected merger pressure and held rallies insisting his party will stay in the right‑wing camp.
- An advisory body recommended security protection for Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot and the campaign developments highlight how Israel’s proportional system and the 3.25% threshold mean small shifts of votes or tactical pacts can decide who reaches the 61‑seat majority.