Until the onset of the storm, on the right breathed air of peaks, but recent polls have brought the party back to reality • Now the party is declaring: "We will go with the numbers" • Bennett is expected to announce his candidacy for prime minister soon
The party does not plan to bring a star list.
Bennett
Photography:
Oren Ben Hakon
Until Gideon Saar entered the race, Bennett and his men breathed a sigh of relief in the polls, which placed them as the second largest party in Israel and Naftali Bennett as the prime ministerial candidate.
Saar's entry lowered her right to 13-12 seats and hurt the party's momentum.
Despite the decline, the party sounds encouraged mainly by the strengthening of the so-called "base".
"Until recently, our base was six seats, and today it has doubled to about 12 seats. This is good and important stability," the party says.
So far, Naftali Bennett has kept the official statement of his intention to replace Netanyahu until the date when elections are officially announced.
The official statement will be heard in the coming days.
The upcoming election campaign will be characterized by two blocs: "Only Bibi" (Likud and the ultra-Orthodox) and "Only not Bibi" (Saar, Lieberman, Lapid and more).
The right is planning to be the other bloc, the one that will declare that it wants to replace Netanyahu, but will not guarantee that he will not sit with him if the numbers after the election do not work out.
From the right, all options are open.
Sources in the party say: "What will happen if Gideon Saar becomes the tongue in cheek? He will go to the government with the support of Balad?
Will cause more elections?
The fact that he says 'just not Bibi' may complicate him.
We have all the options open. "
The party estimates that so far they have had three groups of voters: religious Zionism, the Likud right that is not interested in Netanyahu and center-right voters and even the left are happy about the conduct in Corona and want to see Netanyahu outside the prime minister's office.
The assessment on the right is that the third group, which "parked" on the right, has abandoned them in recent days in favor of Gideon Saar.
The party does not plan to bring "stars" to the list, as they did in the past with Alona Barkat or Eli Ohana, but people with a record in doing so from the private and public spheres and the periphery.
Al Smutrich Bridge
Until the submission of the lists, the right will deal with internal contacts between Bennett and Smutrich, who make up the list with his party - the National Union.
The two need to reach agreements on compiling the list, and also on substantive issues related to the way forward.
As you may recall, it was recently reported in "Israel Today" that party sources declare that "if on the day the lists are submitted, Bennett and Smutrich go together, it will be out of understanding and agreement that no government will be formed with Lieberman and Lapid."
