Every couple of days we hear about how PM Benjamin Netanyahu, or someone else from the Likud, at the behest of Netanyahu, is working to unite the right, to push the various leaders of right wing parties to form a united party. The goal is obviously to waste less votes and hopefully be able to form a coalition with an expanded right wing with no need for Avigdor Lieberman and Yisrael Beyteynu. Today it was Minister Yariv Levin who said on Radio Kol Hai that he "calls upon the heads of the right wing parties to show responsibility and unite - it is a critical condition for a right wing victory in the elections".

That is all nice and good, and is perhaps a worthy goal to work toward.

Whenever I see a report of such efforts I wonder why Netanyahu si always pushing other people to unite. Why does he not work to bring those other parties into the Likud and unite that way? He does not want the likes of a Ben Gvir or a Marzel or a Feiglin in the Likud - it seems Peretz and the others aren't so excited about it either. If unity is so important, the Likud should be just as much open to creating a united bloc as they demand of the others. I would like to see Peretz turn it around on the Likud and let them figure it out. Put the pressure back on Netanyahu and stop leaving the opening for him to blame everyone else for his failures.