The right-wing nationalist camp has been making efforts at unity - but are these bearing fruit? Tekumah and Moledet joined together with Yisrael Beiteinu, forming one party called the National Union that is expected to win 7-8 Knesset seats. The National Religious Party called upon Meimad to join it, but the latter turned down the offer, choosing to run with Labor instead - leading to an internal Meimad split. Tzomet and Moreshet Avot will be running separately, though neither is expected to garner much support.
In addition, several small groups - that which used to be Kach; Yamin Israel; representatives from Temple Mount activists; B'Ad Artzeinu; and others - have joined together with the Herut party. It is not clear, however, if this group will pass the minimum threshold of votes. Arutz-7's Yosef Zalmanson calculates that over 50,000 votes will be required for a party to receive Knesset representation in the upcoming elections - 1.5% of the valid votes. In today's Maariv poll, Herut received enough support to receive a Knesset seat - for the first time this campaign.
"Professors for a Strong Israel" feels that the risks are too great. The organization "calls on the small parties in the national camp to give up their efforts at running separately," as they may waste "thousands of precious votes that the larger right-wing parties should be getting. The small parties must join the larger parties that also oppose a Palestinian state west of the Jordan, and that are sure to pass the minimum."
A spokesman for Herut's election campaign responds that the opposite is true: "Sharon [of Likud] talks of a Palestinian state, Lieberman [of National Union] recognized its existence a year ago, and his plan of Palestinian cantons speaks of territorial compromise in western Eretz [Land of] Yisrael… The Likud and the National Union are surely not right-wing parties, but are rather pretending to be right-wing. It is they who are stealing votes from the true right-wing represented by Herut."
Chairman Prof. Breiman said that public recognition that the Likud is no longer right-wing, but rather centrist, will come in time for the election following the upcoming one.
In addition, several small groups - that which used to be Kach; Yamin Israel; representatives from Temple Mount activists; B'Ad Artzeinu; and others - have joined together with the Herut party. It is not clear, however, if this group will pass the minimum threshold of votes. Arutz-7's Yosef Zalmanson calculates that over 50,000 votes will be required for a party to receive Knesset representation in the upcoming elections - 1.5% of the valid votes. In today's Maariv poll, Herut received enough support to receive a Knesset seat - for the first time this campaign.
"Professors for a Strong Israel" feels that the risks are too great. The organization "calls on the small parties in the national camp to give up their efforts at running separately," as they may waste "thousands of precious votes that the larger right-wing parties should be getting. The small parties must join the larger parties that also oppose a Palestinian state west of the Jordan, and that are sure to pass the minimum."
A spokesman for Herut's election campaign responds that the opposite is true: "Sharon [of Likud] talks of a Palestinian state, Lieberman [of National Union] recognized its existence a year ago, and his plan of Palestinian cantons speaks of territorial compromise in western Eretz [Land of] Yisrael… The Likud and the National Union are surely not right-wing parties, but are rather pretending to be right-wing. It is they who are stealing votes from the true right-wing represented by Herut."
Chairman Prof. Breiman said that public recognition that the Likud is no longer right-wing, but rather centrist, will come in time for the election following the upcoming one.