The battle until the last moment: who joined whom, the available slots - and the surprises ahead
Less than two weeks before the lists close: In Likud they are still waiting for Netanyahu's slots, Bennett and Lapid are dealing with a headache of an excess of candidates - and Inzkot with a…
Assessment
The Israeli election season is entering its chaotic final phase as parties scramble to finalize candidate lists. The Likud party's vulnerability is exposed: it is waiting on Benjamin Netanyahu's personal reserved slots, a reminder that the party machinery defers to one man. Meanwhile, centrist and right-wing blocs face opposite problems: too many candidates for Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, too few for Avigdor Lieberman and newcomer Inazkut. An election alliance may place Hadar Mukhtar on a Religious Zionist list, showing how last-minute horse-trading can reshape the political landscape. The real story here is list position power: who gets a safe spot determines who enters parliament, and the phone calls still being made will decide the next Knesset's coalition arithmetic.