Netanyahu warns against small right-wing parties, says they could hand election to 'fascist Left'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday called on voters not to support emerging small parties on the Right, warning that splitting the right-wing vote could cost his camp the election and allow the opposition bloc to form the next government.

Netanyahu’s statement came a day ahead of the reported launch of a new right-wing party led by Brig.-Gen. (res.) Ofir Winter, which polling shows could take votes from parties in Netanyahu’s current coalition.

The prime minister's statement also came as Arab-Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad officially registered a new right-wing party under the name "Brave Israel" on Monday.

Netanyahu warns small parties will 'burn' right-wing votes

“We must not establish these splinter parties that will only burn our votes," Netanyahu said.

"It’s like taking your votes... and throwing them in the trash. In the trash. You burned them," he added.

Netanyahu also claimed that voters choosing the small right-wing parties would cause the Left to come to power.

"Then [Yashar Party leader Gadi] Eisenkot’s party will rise, together with [Democrats Party leader] Yair Golan, together with [Ra'am Party leader] Mansour Abbas, and with [Yisrael Beytenu Party leader Avigdor] Liberman, who always goes along with them."

"And what they will do here immediately, immediately, is buy, sell, and carry out a fire sale of the country."

Netanyahu accused opposition party leaders of planning to "impose a fascist regime" in the country.

"You won’t be able to speak, you won’t be able to go to concerts, everyone will have to be the same. They’ll shut down the internet, shut down Channel 14," he said.

“And that will be a disaster, a diplomatic disaster, an internal disaster, and a disaster for true democracy.”

“And this can be prevented. The only way to prevent it is, first of all, to say: Don’t vote for these small parties. We cannot allow these splinter parties to remain."

"You are wasting your vote. It simply guarantees the rise of the left, and that would be a disaster for Israel," he added.

New right-wing parties seek dissatisfied voters

Amid tensions over the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) draft issue that rose during the current government’s term, new small Right-wing parties have recently emerged, voicing dissatisfaction with the existing right-wing parties in Netanyahu’s coalition: Chili Tropper and Yoaz Hendel’s Zionist Home-The Reservists, and Gilad Erdan’s Unity Party.

The two parties, both hovering near the electoral threshold, have been informally termed the Third Bloc, and have stated they aim to provide a “political home” for right-wing voters who feel no existing party reflects their beliefs.

An additional party in the Third Bloc includes the Israel First Party, led by MK Sharren Haskel, which recently added Jonathan Pollard, a former US Navy intelligence analyst who was jailed for spying for Israel, to the party.

Reports have also emerged of potential mergers and alliances among the Third Bloc parties.

Poll shows potential Winter alliance winning five seats

Ahead of Winter’s expected party launch on Tuesday, a Sunday KAN News poll found that a party led by Winter could cross the electoral threshold if he were to form an alliance with Haddad and other prominent figures.

According to the poll, such an alliance could win five seats, largely at the expense of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party, which would fall below the electoral threshold.