DEBKAfile
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After filing their slates for the March 23 election by Thursday at 9 p.m. Israel’s parties are are prohibited from making changes. Any mergers must therefore be sealed by then. Although 20 parties are potentially bidding for election, Israel’s fourth in two years, six are likely to drop out over disappointing poll ratings below the 3,75pc threshold, or save themselves by mergers. Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s Kachol Lavan, which is one of that group, nevertheless handed in an independent slate on Wednesday.
Although not long ago, Labor was considered a goner, it gained high buzz (an estimated 5 seats and counting) under a new leader, Meirav Michaeli, who ordered a primary for a new slate based on strict feminist principles. Listed are two new parties, Likud breakaway Gideon Saar’s New Hope, which polls an estimated 14 Knesset seats; and Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai’s The Israelis, which is not expected to survive on its own. merger.
Deadline for Israeli party registration looms this week
Parties have until Thursday night to negotiate over mergers
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The deadline for Israeli political parties to register their electoral lists is looming Thursday night, forcing decisions from many smaller factions that have not been polling well. Here’s a guide on what to look out for this week as the February 4 deadline approaches.
In and out: Former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon announced today that he will drop out of the race for the Knesset, pulling his Telem faction from contention, after polls showed him struggling to gain traction. Former Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn, who left Blue and White to take the number two slot in Huldai’s The Israelis Party a month ago, announced yesterday he is exiting politics and will not run in the upcoming election after all. The move renewed calls for Huldai to drop out of the election, especially as most recent polls show he will not cross
ANALYSIS – With rough patch ahead for Netanyahu, Israel likely heading toward another political deadlock aa.com.tr - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from aa.com.tr Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
One thing is certain about the March 23 Israeli election, the fourth in two years; like its three predecessors, it will produce an indecisive result and lead to further political instability.
Gideon Sa’ar, from i24 News, 2017, screenshot.
Reading the tea leaves– and polling for the next Israeli election in late March, experts say that Israel will elect an even more rightwing government than Netanyahu’s rightwing coalition.
Israel watchers are predicting a government led by former Netanyahu ally Gideon Sa’ar, openly committed to one “Jewish” state between river and sea, with no interest in allowing even a shadow of Palestinian sovereignty in the occupied territories. Indeed, the Israeli “center” and “left” are shattered, and the possibility exists that the Labor party that founded the state will disappear from the parliament in the next election.