Religious Zionism and Zehut form joint list for Israel’s October election

Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich and Zehut chief Moshe Feiglin announced Tuesday they will contest Israel’s October 27 election on a joint ticket, creating a technical alliance to pool right-wing votes and clear the electoral threshold.

Right-wing consolidation

Smotrich revealed the agreement in a statement on social media platform X, saying the alliance would preserve each faction’s distinct identity while presenting a unified front at the ballot box. "I am pleased to announce to you that the Religious Zionism Party, under my leadership, and the Identity Party, under the leadership of Moshe Feiglin, have agreed to run together in a technical bloc," he said, framing the move as necessary to consolidate right-wing support.

Smotrich emphasized the urgency of preventing vote fragmentation ahead of what he described as a decisive moment for the national camp. "At this critical moment, responsibility is required of us: to unite forces, to expand the camp, and not to allow any voice on the right to go to waste," he said, urging other right-wing formations to join their bloc. He added that both parties would maintain their separate structures and policy platforms despite the electoral pact.

The finance minister warned that Israel faces "fateful moments" regarding settlement policy, judicial reform and security, stating the alliance would work to block the creation of a Palestinian state. "There are differences between us, and we are not asking to blur them," he noted, adding that each party would keep "their identity and their path" while pursuing the shared goal of national camp victory.

Electoral arithmetic

The October 27 vote comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition faces declining poll numbers and internal fractures, with the premier currently subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued in 2024 over alleged war crimes in Gaza. Smotrich and Feiglin signed a formal agreement Tuesday to run together, a mechanism that allows separate parties to combine vote totals to meet the electoral threshold without fully merging their organizational structures, according to the Yedioth Ahronoth daily.

A survey published Sunday by public broadcaster KAN indicated Netanyahu’s bloc would secure 52 seats if elections were held immediately, falling short of the 61-seat majority required to form a government in the 120-member Knesset. The opposition would win 55 seats while Arab parties would capture 13, the poll suggested, highlighting the precarious arithmetic facing the incumbent prime minister.

Coalition tensions

The Smotrich-Feiglin pact follows the refusal of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who leads the far-right Jewish Power party, to join forces with Religious Zionism despite Netanyahu’s earlier calls for right-wing unity. Ben-Gvir’s rejection leaves the conservative camp divided as it attempts to fend off challenges from centrist and leftist rivals in a contest that will determine whether Netanyahu can extend his tenure beyond its December 2022 starting point.