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Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu urged the far-right Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit parties to reunite ahead of the upcoming November 1 general election after the latter splintered off and declared an independent run after rigorous horse-trading over the makeup of the party's slate ran into a dead-end.
"We all have one goal — forming a strong and stable national government for the next four years," Netanyahu said in a video statement.
"To that end, we must, first and foremost, join forces, not split them. That is why I am calling on the Religious Zionist Party and Otzma Yehudit to run together in the elections. We cannot take the risk, only a joint run will ensure with certainty that the two parties pass the electoral threshold.”
Parties must secure at least 3.25% of the total vote, or 4 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, to get into the Israeli parliament.