Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is focusing his efforts on preventing the opposition bloc from reaching 61 seats and unseating him in the coming election, former communications adviser to Netanyahu, Avi Bushinsky, told 103FM on Tuesday.
"Netanyahu’s goal is one thing. If we ignore for a second Filber’s polls, in which Netanyahu gets something like 80 to 90 seats, depending on which day you wake up, then the goal is really to ensure a political tie in order to get to another election, or maybe reach ideal conditions, and then of course as long as there is a political tie you are the sitting prime minister and under the best conditions, namely a transitional government, then there is not even a Knesset on your back," he said.
Bushinsky stated he didn't believe there would be room in the upcoming Knesset for all the smaller parties being formed, noting that when Benny Gantz and Dedi Simchi talked about joint leadership, they could barely cross the electoral threshold.
"There are more cardinal problems here. To come and say, 'We will unite,' 'We will join,' 'We will do' and 'a broad national [front],' there is a fundamental problem here in the State of Israel, the story of October 7, a state commission of inquiry, and so on, but right now there is something much bigger, which is where we are headed, and that is the issue of enlistment," he said.
"I do not think that if by some miracle two or three MKs come together and form a centrist party, that will move the country. In my assessment, no such midstream party will be formed. Not one of [Gilad] Erdan and [Yu;o] Edelstein, and not one of [Chili] Trooper. I think he, Trooper, expects to find himself with [Gadi] Eisenkot," he concluded.
Creation of Trooper, Hendel's new party, Yesodot Yisrael, is not 'major breakthrough'
In the same interview, Roy Kuncol, who decided last week to leave the Reservists Party, addressed the formation of Chili Tropper and Yoaz Hendel's new party, Yesodot Yisrael, and said he saw no major breakthrough there.
"Without referring to the personal issues between them, on the political level, it is impossible to understand this split. Two people who ultimately say the same thing, are in the same political space, and want to do the same political thing, there is no reason in the world to see them as two different forces, two parties. I analyze this as part of issues of ego and grievances, or that [Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai] Chikli is trying to move within the political space to another place," Kuncol said.
"That is fine, legitimate, okay, but public trust in their political space is very low, not because people do not want it, but because it is hard to launch something new in Israeli politics. To spread this into even more shards of parties is a huge mistake. The game in politics is about joining forces, not splitting apart," he emphasized.