Netanyahu rivals vow final chance

Israeli opposition parties gathered on Tuesday evening to await official election results, united by a private consensus that the current moment represents their final opportunity to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from power. Behind the scenes, sources within the bloc communicated a clear directive to party leaders: the effort invested in this campaign must not result in a missed opportunity.

A source from the opposition described the alignment of factors that led to this moment. They noted that events following October 7, combined with friction over the role of the haredi population, shifted voters away from right-wing parties. This shift allowed the opposition to assemble a united bloc spanning the Right, Center, and Left. The source highlighted that four parties within the bloc signed surplus-vote agreements, a strategy that prevented wasted votes while the opposition struggled to coordinate.

The bloc executed a massive get-out-the-vote drive, which included transporting voters from abroad to cast ballots. This operational intensity created a sense of obligation among leaders to follow through with government formation. One source stated, "We brought people from abroad especially to vote; we made an enormous effort to reach maximum voter turnout; we activated all the systems. Now we need to form a government. Period."

Negotiators acknowledge that forming a stable majority may require difficult compromises. This could involve abandoning specific campaign pledges or partnering with parties that previous leaders had ruled out. However, sources indicated that leaders will not allow ego battles to derail the process. The instruction to party heads was explicit about the necessary sacrifices.

"Whoever needs to break promises, let him break them; whoever needs to swallow his pride, let him swallow it. There's no choice. It's now or never," the source told Walla. The source added that demographic changes, particularly the growth of the haredi population, might alter the political balance in future elections. They warned that the current alignment of voters might not recur.

The final outcome depends on whether the opposition can secure a parliamentary majority in the official tally. If the numbers support a government change, the bloc intends to move quickly. Leaders were told that if the opportunity exists, no individual can afford to let it slip away due to personal or partisan considerations.