Two days before the closing of Israel’s party lists, Chili Tropper and Yoaz Hendel announced Sunday morning that they are not running together, breaking apart the Bayit Tzioni-The Reservists party they founded.

Tropper is expected to join Gadi Eisenkot’s left-wing Yashar! party, Ynet reported.

According to the report, Eisenkot’s party can offer realistic spots on its slate to Tropper and two of his party members, Shira Shapira and Elyasaf Peretz.

According to a Kan News report, Hendel is expected to join either Yaron Zelekha or Benny Gantz, with the odds currently favoring the first option. Ayelet Shaked is expected to decide Sunday whether to run as part of Benny Gantz’s party.

Channel 12 journalist Amit Segal summed up the events, stating: “Bennett’s Friday pitch failed as Tropper chooses an independent run with Eisenkot. With tight slate real estate prioritized for bereaved family members Shira Shapira and Elyasaf Peretz, Yoaz Hendel was squeezed.”

“The domino effect: The Bennett–Eisenkot union is virtually dead. Hendel pivots toward Gantz, and Shaked decides today on joining Gantz and Hendel.”

Tropper, who has previously declared that he would not serve in a government under Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, has made mandatory service for all a prerequisite for joining any future coalition.

In an interview with Kikar HaShabbat about a month ago, Tropper said he opposed Hendel’s proposal to strip voting rights from those who do not serve, saying he favors economic sanctions instead.

The battle over Tropper is part of a broader struggle for leadership of the anti-Netanyahu bloc, with both Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett seeking to bring him into their respective camps.  A Tropper-Eisenkot alliance could bolster Eisenkot’s bid to lead the bloc and intensify his rivalry with Bennett over who will head the opposition camp into the election.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)