Netanyahu's trump card? In Likud they estimate: Bennett will not rush to recommend Eisenkot to the President
A source in Likud claims that Benjamin Netanyahu's circle estimates that Naftali Bennett has not yet committed to recommending Gadi Eisenkot to the President of the State, Isaac Herzog, and they hope that the split in the rival camp will allow Netanyahu to receive the mandate to form a government.
A source in Likud claims that a clear strategy for winning the upcoming elections is taking shape in the circle of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: to ensure that Likud finishes as the largest party in Israel, even if the right-wing bloc does not achieve a clear majority at the ballot box, and to exploit the disputes between his rivals to receive the mandate to form a government.
According to the same source, in Likud they estimate that Naftali Bennett will not rush to recommend Gadi Eisenkot to the President of the State for Prime Minister. Netanyahu is counting on the fact that Bennett has not yet announced that he will recommend the candidate who will lead the opposing bloc. If no candidate receives the recommendation of 61 Knesset members, Netanyahu will seek to present himself as the one who heads the largest party and as the candidate with the highest chances of forming a coalition.
To reach this status, Netanyahu aspires for Likud to be the largest party after the elections. This may signal his intention to conduct an aggressive "drinking" campaign within the right-wing bloc, with the goal of surpassing Eisenkot.
"The goal is to reach the end of the elections when Netanyahu is the only candidate behind whom there is a large and united party, while the camp opposite him is split between several candidates," the source said.
According to him, in Likud they believe that the split on the question of the recommendation to the President may give Netanyahu a decisive advantage at the stage of consultations at the President's residence.
In Netanyahu's circle, they hope that if the mandate is entrusted to him, the very fact of holding it will exert pressure on parties and Knesset members who are debating whether to join a government under his leadership. In Likud, they are counting on the fact that during the negotiation period, Netanyahu will be able to dismantle the rival camp, recruit additional partners, and complete a coalition majority.
