In a column published Friday morning, N12 analyst Amit Segal compares Naftali Bennett’s political trajectory to tightrope walker Philippe Petit, arguing the balancing act between right and left voters is over. Segal writes that Eisenkot’s rise in polls has disrupted Bennett’s coalition, and recommends he and Yair Lapid stop ignoring Eisenkot and instead emphasize experience and detailed governance plans.
In a column published Friday morning on his personal channel/blog, veteran N12 political analyst Amit Segal draws an extended metaphor between Naftali Bennett’s political career and Philippe Petit’s 1987 tightrope walk over the Hinnom Valley in Jerusalem. Segal argues that Bennett’s successful balancing act between right-wing and left-wing voters—which sustained his lead in opposition polls for nearly two years—has been fatally disrupted by the entry of former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot into the race last July.
Segal notes that a commissioned poll last week tested what would happen if the Bennett-Lapid ticket split: Bennett would win 15 seats while Lapid would fail to cross the electoral threshold, with most leakage coming from the left. He therefore concludes that the balancing act is over and recommends a new strategy: stop ignoring or attacking Eisenkot, and instead emphasize the pair’s combined governing experience and detailed day-one plans. Segal compares the proposed campaign’s theme to the Likud “hive” slogan of the 1980s, suggesting it suits a party named “Together.” The Zioneer has tracked Eisenkot’s electoral surge across multiple polls this week, including N12 and Kan 11 surveys showing the former chief overtaking Bennett for the first time. This column represents the first major on-record strategic advice from a key journalist close to the Bennett-Lapid camp.
- StrongBennett campaign changes direction, Amit Segal (N12) reports
- StrongN12 poll: Eisenkot ties Bennett, both at 20 seats; Likud drops to 22
- StrongBennett signals readiness to serve under Eisenkot in a replacement government
- DevelopingIsrael Hayom columnist: Eisenkot poised to leap ahead of Likud if he matches Bennett
Source and signal
- Internal intake