A little more than a day after the running agreement between Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism, senior political commentator Amit Segal explains why a photo from the moment of signing was not published: Benjamin Netanyahu does not want to be photographed with Ben Gvir.
Segal wrote: "On Saturday evening, between the suns, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir made the wise decision for them, which is not to run alone this time either. Smotrich is disgusted by Ben-Gvir's style and sees him as a fake, Ben-Gvir sees Smotrich as an arrogant person who steals votes and is not worth his worth. But in the end, both preferred to run together.".
According to Segal, a survey conducted by Manu Geva three days ago in which Smotrich did not pass the threshold, decided the matter: "Smotrich could have gotten a better deal by then, but the 9-0 result left him no choice. Ben-Gvir knew that five seats in hand were better than nine on the tree. Even so, this is a dramatic leap for a party whose three leaders were disqualified from running for the Knesset in just the last three years: that's enough strength for a moderate portfolio and cabinet membership.
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""The matchmaker, Benjamin Netanyahu, preferred not to be photographed with the happy couple. The three know very well why: Netanyahu does not want to be photographed with Ben Gvir. One of the reasons for the union was the fear of losing votes below the threshold, but a less talked about reason was the Likud chairman's unwillingness to find himself with a giant Ben Gvir party that would make it significantly more difficult for his future government, if it were to be formed, in world capitals.".
Segal adds that Netanyahu now plans to "shrink the United Party to very modest proportions. Here's a gastronomic wonder: Netanyahu will try to drink something crunchy.".
