In order for the “serving bloc”, the state-oriented Zionist bloc, to win the upcoming elections, the four main opposition parties must adhere to one clear strategy and understand that the key to victory is transferring 5 to 6 seats from the “evaders bloc,” rather than engaging in an internal bloc struggle and “stealing mandates” from one another.
The bloc strategy must be founded on five principles:
Increasing voter turnout
In the last election, voter turnout stood at less than 71%. In the 1988 election, turnout was nearly 80%. It is important to emphasize that turnout among the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) and haredi-nationalist public is very high. As we have seen many times in the past, among the haredim, even the dead exercise their civic right to vote on election day... By contrast, among mainstream Israelis, the working and serving public, the lowest turnout rates are in Gush Dan and the Sharon region.
If overall voter turnout in the upcoming election reaches 76%, the goal of replacing the October 7 government and restoring a Zionist government that will work for the people of Israel will be achieved. Therefore, it is important to focus efforts, encourage voters, and increase turnout.
Preventing the dispersion and waste of votes
In the last election, 40 lists ran for the Knesset, and 10 seats went to waste because of those that failed to cross the electoral threshold. It can be seen that since the 1977 election, all “atmosphere parties,” even those that crossed the threshold for the first time, disappeared afterward. It began with Yigal Yadin and the Democratic Movement for Change in 1977 and continued with countless parties: Kadima (Forward) and Backward, One People and Another People, the Third Way and the Fourth Way, the Pensioners Party and the Babies Party, all disappeared as if they had never existed, and this phenomenon only harmed governmental stability.
With all due respect and appreciation to Benny Gantz, Gilad Erdan, Chili Tropper, Yuli Edelstein, and Yoaz Hendel, they have no chance of crossing the electoral threshold, and their running will certainly cost the serving bloc at least 3 to 4 seats. Therefore, we must all call on Israeli voters to vote responsibly, with a strategic vote for only one of the four main parties in the serving bloc.
Do not embark on adventures that will end in failure, or as Rafi Ginat used to say on the investigative TV program Kolbotek: “Don’t be tempted by adventures and dubious deals, because otherwise you’ll pay the price hard and pay the price big.” In this case, it will not end only with spoiled hummus, but with a disaster for the country. This time, in the most fateful election in the country’s history, when all of our futures are on the table, we must not gamble.
Focus on common ground rather than divisive issues
There is no point talking about a Palestinian state or evacuating settlements, issues that will not happen, but rather we should focus on the issues we all share: a state commission of inquiry, equal burden sharing and enlistment for everyone, core curriculum studies, the loss of governance and restoring personal security, limiting a prime minister to two terms, establishing a constitution, and similar issues.
Any attempt to create divisions between future coalition partners must be prevented. Political cannibalism within the bloc must not be allowed, and I commit that there will be no alliances or factions aimed against one another. The demand that all opposition parties declare now that the head of the largest party will be their candidate for prime minister is a serious mistake, stemming from a lack of political experience. In the last election, Yesh Atid achieved an impressive result of 24 seats, but we all sat in the opposition and suffered along with all of the country’s residents, and therefore this must not happen again.
Maximizing each party’s electoral potential
Those who support Bennett and Lapid want to see Bennett as prime minister, and those who support Yisrael Beytenu want to see me as prime minister. If Bennett declares support for Eisenkot, he will immediately lose 3 to 4 seats, and if I do so, Yisrael Beytenu will lose at least 2 seats. Only a small portion of these votes will go to Eisenkot, while the overwhelming majority will move to the Netanyahu bloc or will not turn out to vote. This would be a small gain for Eisenkot and a major loss for the entire bloc. Therefore, we must all run until the end and present ourselves as candidates for prime minister.
Presenting a winning formula
I promise that after the decisive victory of the serving bloc, the state-oriented Zionist bloc, I will present a formula that everyone will accept and be satisfied with, and within days of the election’s conclusion we will announce our candidate for prime minister.
Only a firm decision by all of us to adhere to these principles and maintain a bloc-wide strategy will bring us a clear and decisive victory. To the attention of all my colleagues in the opposition.