With just two weeks until the elections, Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party has apparently decided to launch a campaign to draw votes from other parties in the opposition bloc, overtake Likud, and become the largest party in the Knesset.
"The race to become the largest party is close. We must be the largest party and overtake Likud. Only then will we be the first to receive the mandate to form a government," read a message distributed to party activists.
The move comes just two weeks after a meeting of the leaders of the opposition's change bloc, where they agreed to postpone discussions over who would be their prime minister candidate until after the elections and focus on strengthening the bloc as a whole.
Members of the change bloc have expressed disappointment over Yashar's return to the "largest party" campaign, contrary to the understandings the bloc's leaders reached about two weeks ago.
"It's disappointing that after all the agreements and understandings to stop shooting inside the armored personnel carrier and focus on winning as a bloc, Eisenkot is returning to the same campaign, the battle to become the largest party. Gadi is becoming the new Merav Michaeli. It won't work for him either, and that's simply a shame," sources in the change bloc said.
Lapid hosts change bloc meeting for joint action plan
About two weeks ago, the leaders of the change bloc met at Opposition Leader Yair Lapid's home in Tel Aviv to turn the emerging ceasefire into a joint plan of action.
After weeks of disputes over who would be the candidate for prime minister and which party would emerge as the largest, the discussion shifted to the seats the bloc still needed and where those additional votes could be won.
Naftali Bennett, Eisenkot, Avigdor Liberman, and Yair Golan attended the meeting alongside Lapid.
The agenda included coordinating election campaigns, dividing areas of responsibility among the parties, expanding the bloc, and exploring the possibility of establishing a common set of governing principles ahead of the next government.
The meeting ended after about an hour, with the leaders deciding to remove the question of the bloc's prime-minister candidate from the agenda until after the elections.
The party leaders agreed to revisit the issue the day after the elections, based on the results. Until then, their efforts would focus on expanding the bloc and securing an electoral victory.
They signed a joint document outlining their shared principles: "Recognizing that even if there are ideological disagreements between us, replacing the government is our shared overriding goal, and it is our duty to work together to achieve it."
Yashar: 'This time, Eisenkot'
The full message distributed to Yashar activists read:
"The race to become the largest party is close. More and more Israelis understand: This time, Eisenkot.
"Forward this message to friends, family members, and anyone who is undecided. We are two weeks away from the elections.
"A Channel 12 News poll published on Wednesday shows a close race between Yashar and Likud to become the largest party. It's close, and it will be decided by fractions of a vote.
"On the question of suitability to serve as prime minister, Eisenkot is surging and leads Benjamin Netanyahu by 10 percentage points.
"More and more Israelis understand: This time, Eisenkot.
"We must be the largest party and overtake Likud. Only then will we be the first to receive the mandate to form a government.
"Forward this message to friends, family members, and everyone you know. It's important that everyone knows that this time, it's Eisenkot."
In the Channel 12 News poll published on Wednesday evening, Eisenkot led Netanyahu on the question of suitability to serve as prime minister, receiving 45% support compared with 35% for Netanyahu.