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Home , Alona Barkat, Baruch Marzel, Benny Gantz, Israel Katz, The Jewish Home, Tzipi Livni

Israeli Elections Bulletin

Be sure to check our election page featuring the most up to date polling and analysis.

The Next Israeli Government?

The newly created Blue and White party is currently predicted to win more seats than but would not be able to form a governing coalition.

How the parties and their leaders are shaping up Netanyahu's favourability vs Gantz

Result of head to head polling asking the question "who is most suited for Prime Minister?'

Spotlight: Gantz-Lapid merge to create Blue White party

In a picture posted on , stands with , Moshe Yaalon and , who announced that he will join the list. The caption reads “United. Yair, Bogie, Gabi. For us, before everything.”

A joint statement read: "“From a feeling of national responsibility, it was decided by Benny Gantz, Yair Lapid and (Moshe) Ya’alon to create a united list that will become the new governing party of Israel” BICOM Poll of Polls [before Gantz-Lapid merger]

Our aggregate polling from February 7-20 suggested Likud would emerge as the largest party and able to form a government. But if small right wing parties fail to pass the electoral threshold of 3.25% (equivalent to 4 seats) and the Attorney General decides to indict the Prime Minister his overall support could decrease. initially refused to join the coalition in such a scenario but have since backtracked. Polls suggest Likud is still reliant on Kulanu to reach a 61 seat majority or more required to form a government. How the parties and their leaders are shaping up [before the Gantz-Lapid merger] Latest News Stories from BICOM

Gantz and Lapid launch Blue and White party // February 22 Israeli Left fail to agree merger // February 22 Gantz and Lapid join forces // February 21 Jewish Home merges with Jewish Power // February 21 Gantz launches personal attack on Netanyahu // February 20 Livni retires from politics // February 19 Kahlon would join Netanyahu Government // February 13 Young leaders top Israel’s Labor Party list // February 12 Gantz says Israel is ‘not looking to control anyone else’ // February 7 Gideon Saar comes third in Likud Primaries // February 6 Likud holds primary elections // February 5 Odeh elected // February 4 Polls show surge in support for Gantz // January 31 Gantz launches campaign with focus on unity // January 30 Gantz to launch campaign with attack on Netanyahu // 29 January Bennett attacks Gantz's military record // January 24

Spotlight: party lists

Blue-White: The merger of Likud: The Likud list, chosen the Resilience Party and Yesh in primaries by its members, is is led by former Chief of led by PM Netanyahu and also Staff Benny Gantz (2011-2015), includes speaker Yuli followed by Yair Lapid and Edelstein, now Foreign Minister former Chiefs of Staff Moshe , Public Security Yaalon (2002-2005), and Gabi Minister Gilad Erdan and Ashkenazi (2007-2011). The returning Likud politician current head of the Histadrut Gideon Saar in its top 5. All of Labor Union Chairman Avi these MKs may consider Nissenkorn is 5th on the list. themselves successors to Netanyahu.

Labour: Itzik Shmuli and , veterans of the 2011 : The New Right, popular social protest Arab parties: The Joint Arab formed by Education Minister movement, won first and List which was comprised of and Justice second place in the Labour Taal (Arab Renewal), Raam Minister are Party primary elections, and are (Islamist Party), Hadash joined by Alona Barkat, owner placed 3rd and 4th on the list (Jewish/Arab-Communist) and of the Hapoel Beer Sheva soccer behind Party Chairman Avi Balad (Arab-Palestinian team, Matan Kahane, a former Gabbay and former IDF General nationalist) will not be running Israel Air Force pilot and Tal Russo. Two former party as a joint ticket but rather two Colonel and MK Shuli Muallem, chairpersons, Shelly separate lists – Taal/Hadash led and Post journalist Yachimovich and former by and Caroline Glick. Defence Minister Raam/Balad. are 5th and 6th on the list. Best Cartoons

A cartoon from shows the winners and losers of the last few days. Yair Lapid and 3 former IDF Chiefs of Staff rejoice after forming their new party while Netanyahu and leaders of a far right party hold a photo of , whose party is illegal in Israel and is an illegal terrorist organisation in the US and Europe. Labour and failed to merge which might harm Meretz prospects, and – who left politics –share a joint (Barak has an interest in a medical marijuana company); and Gesher’s leader Orly Levy – whose support has decreased, is packing her bags.

A cartoon from Yediot Ahronot shows students Gantz and Netanyahu writing out the word but Netanyahu complaining to the teacher that Gantz is copying him. Gantz told the Munich Security Conference there was no daylight between him and Netanyahu on the issue.

Worst campaign ad

Yisrael Beitenu's latest campaign video shows Or Ansbacher's rapist and murderer and then points out that Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked, and did not support Yisrael Beitenu's proposed death penalty for terrorist bill.

Watch here

More election videos

In a video arguing that most Israelis want to In a video published days before Tzipi Livni live in a ‘normal state’, senior Labour party resigned from politics, her party published a MKs argue that while its ‘normal to be right dystopian video where, as a dark version of wing’ or ‘to want a secure way to separate from Hatikva plays, Netanyahu has had the airport the Palestinians’ it is not normal support the and main motorway named after him, and the release of Rabin’s murderer Yigal Amir or to Knesset has been turned into a museum believe if the Palestinian issue is ignored it will simply go away. Watch here

Watch here Spotlight: Jewish Home merges with Jewish Power

The Jewish Power party () has merged into a with and National Union parties, and will receive the 5th and 8th slots on their joint list. Established in 2012, Jewish Power is led by former National Union MK Michael Ben Ari and far right activists Itamar Ben Gvir, and Benti Gopstein. They are followers of Rabbi Meir Kahane, who was a Knesset member from 1984-88 before his Kach Party was made illegal. Kach was declared an illegal terrorist organisation by Israel, the US and many other Western countries. The organisation has a history of incitement to violence, racism and involvement in violent attacks on Palestinians. Kach activists openly supported after he murdered 29 Palestinians in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron in 1994. Otzma Yehudit’s policy platform includes a proposal that non-Jews should be encouraged to emigrate from Israel and that Palestinians and Israeli Arabs who refuse to declare loyalty to a , which they consider to include all of the , should be expelled.

In a video from the National Union, leader Betzalel Smotrich explains that without a merger, some right wing votes would ‘go in the dustbin’ and lead to the left wing taking power He gives the example of the 1992 election in which the loss of right wing parties that did not cross the threshold paved the way to a left-wing government that signed the . Watch here

The Labour party released a campaign ad featuring the leaders of the Jewish Power party with the caption 'thanks to the Likud, [the ideology of] Kahane lives' Our latest podcast

Episode 42 | Israeli elections special – What are the Israeli public thinking?

This week, in the first of our Israeli election specials, BICOM CEO James Sorene interviews polling guru and star of the Review podcast Dahlia Scheindlin to discuss what the Israeli public are thinking ahead of the elections and how we can interpret the latest opinion polls.

Fathoming the Israeli Election

Over the next few weeks, the Fathom Journal will be publishing articles about the elections. In its first article, Shany Mor defends Israel’s much aligned electoral system