Netanyahu calls Ben Gvir and Smotrich, but not yet the Haredi party leaders

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has held conversations with Itamar Ben Gvir, who heads Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), and Bezalel Smotrich, who heads Religious Zionism, in the aftermath of the election, Ynet reported. According to the same report, he had not yet spoken with Aryeh Deri or Asher, the leaders it named on the ultra-Orthodox side of his political camp.

Earlier the same day, the Hebrew-language outlet News.co.il reported on its Telegram channel that Netanyahu had sent a message to the heads of the right-wing parties saying he intends to keep the coalition parties together. The report did not say how the message was delivered or which party leaders received it.

Who the partners are

Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism are the two parties on the far right of the bloc that has backed Netanyahu. Their leaders, Ben Gvir and Smotrich, are the partners Ynet described him contacting. The ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, parties form the other main component of his camp. Deri leads Shas, a party rooted in the Sephardi and Mizrahi ultra-Orthodox community. Ynet referred to the second ultra-Orthodox leader only by the surname Asher.

Ynet said the ultra-Orthodox leaders are worried about one particular outcome: the formation of what it called a Zionist unity government, a coalition that would leave them outside government and send them to the opposition benches. The report did not say which parties such a government would include or whether any talks toward it are under way.

The other side: the change bloc

Ynet also reported that contacts are taking place within the so-called change bloc, the term Israeli media use for the parties opposed to Netanyahu. According to the report, those parties are also getting ready for the next phase of the process. It did not detail what those preparations involve or who is taking part.

Why the final count still matters

Ynet noted that the political system is waiting for the results of the double envelopes. In Israeli elections, this is the name for ballots cast by voters who cannot vote at their home polling station, such as soldiers and certain other groups. Each vote is sealed inside two envelopes so that the voter's identity can be checked separately from the ballot itself. These votes are counted after the regular ballots, and because Israeli seats are allocated proportionally, they can shift the final distribution in a close race.

Until those votes are tallied, the precise balance between the blocs is not settled, which helps explain why, according to the reports, both camps are positioning themselves rather than announcing agreements.

How coalition building works

No single party in Israel's parliament, the Knesset, has historically won a majority on its own, so governments are formed through coalition agreements between several parties. After official results are published, the president consults with party representatives and assigns the task of forming a government to the lawmaker considered most likely to succeed. Early conversations between party leaders, like those described in these reports, typically take place before that formal process begins.

The two reports point in a similar direction. News.co.il describes a stated intention by Netanyahu to preserve his existing alliance, and Ynet describes him reaching out first to two of its members. The reports differ in emphasis: News.co.il speaks of right-wing party heads in general, while Ynet draws a distinction between the far-right leaders he has called and the ultra-Orthodox leaders he has not.

What the reports do not say

Neither report gives the election results, seat totals for any party, or how many seats either bloc is expected to hold once the double envelopes are counted. Neither quotes Netanyahu, Ben Gvir, Smotrich, Deri or Asher directly. Ynet does not say what was discussed in the calls with Ben Gvir and Smotrich, or why Netanyahu had not yet spoken with the ultra-Orthodox leaders. News.co.il does not specify whether its report refers to the same conversations Ynet described. Neither report identifies who would lead or join a Zionist unity government, and neither says when the final results are expected.