Netanyahu urges fragmented right-wing parties to merge ahead of October election

With the Oct. 27 parliamentary election looming, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is concentrating on the divisions within his own camp rather than on opposition rivals. He has publicly urged the many small parties that back him—particularly the hard-line blocs headed by Cabinet ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich—to merge into larger entities capable of surpassing the 3.25% electoral threshold. Netanyahu warned that a divided right-wing vote would hand victory to the left and jeopardize his chance for a fifth term, framing the contest as a referendum on his 17-year rule and the wars triggered by the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.

While Smotrich’s Religious Zionism and Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power have resisted reunification, one minor party has already agreed to fold into Smotrich’s list. All parties have until Sept. 8 to finalize their decisions, a deadline that could determine Netanyahu’s political future.