Lieberman in the crosshairs: Bennett and Lapid target the Russian vote

Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid have targeted the Russian-speaking vote, according to a field study that reached "Hayom". The study positions the Russian-speaking vote as a strategic target that can be swayed in favor of the center-right, with a significant group of 2022 immigrants showing a support potential of up to three mandates. Center-right parties are now aiming for targeted campaigns with the goal of capturing this vote.

Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid held a field conference about a week ago for Russian speakers, led by the head of the Russian-speaking staff in the "Behad" party, Olisia Kantor, who stated that the votes of Israelis from the former Soviet Union will be much more decisive than in the past, due to burning public issues, primarily religion and state and IDF conscription.

"Hayom" learned details from a comprehensive study presented to the "Behad" party that analyzed the voting patterns of Russian-speaking voters in Israel. According to the study, the wave of immigrants from 2022 from Russian and Ukrainian-speaking countries adds notable percentages to the voter base: this concerns about 10% of all those from Russia (not born in Israel), estimated to be about 900,000 to one million eligible voters among this minority, from which stems a potential of up to about three mandates.

A key finding in the study: between 75% and 80% of all those from Russian-speaking countries do not wish to support the current government and indicate a tendency toward the center-right. In total, about 75% of the mentioned population define themselves as center-right or right, with 55% declaring themselves as part of the right. Also, high voting rates were recorded among the mentioned group compared to the general population, and the percentage of undecided voters is higher than in the general public.

Among the factors driving the vote are the cost of living, issues of religion and state, and a sense of searching for a political alternative. According to the study, some voters are not satisfied with the response of parties like Yisrael Beiteinu and Likud, which may provide answers to questions of religion and state but less so to matters of the cost of living.

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Not only Bennett and Lapid are targeting the Russian vote: Gadi Eisenkot reserved a spot for Alex Rif, a significant spokesperson for those from Russian-speaking countries and CEO of the Million Lobby, and in addition, he opened unique WhatsApp groups and Facebook and Instagram pages for this purpose.

Response from Bennett and Lapid to "Hayom's" inquiry after the findings reached us:

"We have the most professional team in Israel; we have built orderly work plans over the last two years on how to fix the State of Israel. We will not need an hour of grace; we are ready within 100 days to bring about the greatest changes in the history of the country so that there will be a model state here."

Former Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, Yair Lapid:

"Each of you, people who were not born here and did not inherit apartments here, pays 1,700 NIS per month from your own pocket to draft dodgers. We will make sure to return this money to you. The reason there was legislative madness in the last week is because for 4 years we fought the laws. We fought the looting; a judicial reform did not pass as they wanted thanks to the fight in the Knesset."