Undecided about whom to vote for on October 27? You’re not alone. Until recently, my family was also.
But forget what the confusing and contradictory polls are telling you about the division of Knesset seats, if elections were to be held today (which they are not). So much can still change due to the almost unprecedented number of undecided voters, which is higher than any election in recent memory.
According to a recent column by Israel Hayom’s political analyst Moshe Klughaft, 26 seats worth of voters – or an astounding one-fifth of the voting public – have yet to make up their minds about which slip to place in the ballot box on Election Day.
B’Yachad, led by Naftali Bennett, has a lot of undecided supporters, which is to say that many people tell pollsters they are leaning toward voting B’Yachad. That makes sense, since Bennett was the clear frontrunner before other parties entered the race, and he was probably those voters’ original preference.
What this large leaning voter reserve also means, however, is that on Election Day, B’Yachad has a greater potential to outperform all expectations.
As for my family, we’ve come off the fence and come back home to Bennett, and we’ve pointedly done so while there’s still time to encourage others to join us. Here are the three reasons that sealed our vote:
1. Only B’Yachad has effective plans to fix Israel’s problems and the experience to implement them: Since leaving office in 2022, Bennett invested enormous time and resources studying problems most affecting Israelis and developing working plans over how to solve them.
The slate they are presenting to voters was recruited on the basis of experience and competence, not petty politics. Bennett’s list is primed to hit the ground running and bring crucial fixes to everything from the cost of living to education, healthcare, and more.
2. B’Yachad’s Service Law is a national imperative: Bennett’s principles regarding the untenable and unsustainable situation of the country’s current social and economic contract with haredi (ultra-Orthodox) citizens have been consistent since he entered the campaign. More importantly, they represent the only realistic path moving forward.
While every other party is either ducking the issue or vowing to dictate outcomes to the haredi parties as a fait accompli, Bennett has been talking directly to the haredi public, engaging with them as fellow Jews and opening frank conversations on hard truths about why things can’t continue the way they are, economically or societally.
“For anyone who doesn’t work and doesn’t serve [in the IDF] – they will not get a single shekel,” Bennett said plainly and openly. He holds this sacred position not out of malice but simply because the taxpayer, wage-earner, and reservist will not carry them on their backs.
As former prime minister, Bennett knows intimately that Israel’s continued prosperity as a nation depends on taking decisive action now. Only Bennett’s plan will incentivize service and reward those who serve without widening internal societal divisions in the process.
3. Rather than sharpen our divisions, only B’Yachad focuses on what unites us: Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover, and here, B’Yachad’s name is what it’s all about. Certainly, Bennett is a man of the political Right, but his brand of leadership is inclusive, not exclusionary.
B'Yachad transcends ideological labels
Rather than being pigeonholed by ideological labels, this is a party that transcends them, grounding itself in the Israeli consensus on settlements and security and drawing support from Zionists of all backgrounds and persuasions who are willing to work together to fix what’s broken.
In our family, my voting history is on the Right, while my wife’s is on the Left. After looking at all the choices in this election, we’ve both come to the conclusion that Bennett’s leadership and B’Yachad’s broad-based policy agenda is what the country needs most right now.
In the aftermath of October 7, ordinary Israelis came together to support one another and unite for a greater good. Bennett and B’Yachad have elevated that positive energy into a political movement that has the power to repair and revitalize our government agencies from the inside out.
Each vote for B’Yachad on Election Day will help them help us – all of us – build a brighter and better future for every citizen of Israel.
The writer is a senior policy analyst at the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council.