Binyamin Netanyahu
Binyamin NetanyahuYonatan Sindel/Flash90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is pressuring Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party to prove to the Likud that it can cross the electoral threshold in the upcoming Knesset election – or else merge with other right-wing parties, according to a report Friday by Yediot Aharanot.

In recent days, the report claimed, officials from the Prime Minister’s Office have spoken with Smotrich and other Religious Zionist Party officials repeatedly, laying out an ultimatum for the newly rebranded National Union’s Knesset bid.

With the Central Election Committee’s deadline for submitting Knesset lists set for next Thursday, the Likud has warned Smotrich that his party must pass the threshold in a publicly published poll next week, as well as in an internal Likud poll next week. Should the Religious Zionist Party fail to cross the 3.25% electoral threshold in one of the polls, officials close to the Prime Minister say, the party must agree to run with both the Jewish Home and Otzma Yehudit parties.

If Smotrich refuses, Netanyahu’s confidants have warned that the Likud will work to minimize the vote for the Religious Zionist Party, aggressively campaigning among the party’s demographic base.

Should Smotrich agree to a joint run, however, or succeed in passing the threshold in next week’s polls, the Likud has reportedly vowed not to target the Religious Zionist Party’s electoral base.

Thus far, the Religious Zionist Party has failed to reach a breakthrough with the Jewish Home, and has yet to conduct talks with Otzma Yehudit for a joint run.

A spokesperson for the Religious Zionist Party responded to the report saying: “We won’t take part in the spin game.”