Religious Zionism chairman Bezalel Smotrich and Zehut leader Moshe Feiglin reached an agreement Tuesday to run together in the upcoming election, in a move aimed at improving their chances of crossing the electoral threshold and entering the Knesset.
Under the agreement, Feiglin will receive the No. 2 position on Smotrich’s slate, as well as the eighth, 10th and 11th places. The latter positions are currently considered unlikely to win seats.
(Photo: Yair Sagi, REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)
The two sides agreed that the alliance would be strictly “technical.” Each party will run its own campaign, and after the election they are expected to split and conduct any coalition negotiations separately.
Noam party chairman Avi Maoz has also expressed willingness to join the alliance, although it is not yet clear whether Smotrich is interested in bringing him into the joint slate.
The agreement between Smotrich and Feiglin also leaves open the possibility of adding former senior IDF officer Ofer Winter at a later stage.
If Winter agrees to join, he would be offered the No. 2 position, pushing Feiglin down to third place. Winter is also expected to receive additional spots in the top 10 for candidates associated with him.
Even in that scenario, however, Feiglin is expected under the current agreement to retain two positions in the slate’s top 10.