Could it have ended differently? The candidate who lost to Dan Illouz in the 2022 primaries

The departure of Knesset member Dan Illouz from the Likud and his move to Yisrael Beiteinu has refocused attention on the 2022 Likud primaries for the immigrants' slot. In that race, Illouz defeated Boris Apolichuk, an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, to secure his place on the Likud list for the Knesset.

Now, after Illouz left the party and sharply attacked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud, many are pointing out that if the primary results had been different, it is possible that Apolichuk would have been the one to enter the Knesset in his place.

Apolichuk himself had previously criticized the way Illouz was elected. In a post published after the primaries, he wrote:

"Dan Illouz was a completely unknown candidate in the 2022 primaries. He ran in the immigrants' slot and won only thanks to two major deals made for him by 'Liberals in Likud'."

Later, Apolichuk called on Likud members not to allow organized groups to influence the results of the primaries, especially in representative slots and districts. "Do not let deals and organized groups influence the primary results too much," he wrote. He further added that one should vote "for worthy, principled candidates who will be ready to fight for you against the post-Zionist deep state," and emphasized that voters should choose only candidates whose positions and actions they knew even before they ran.

As previously reported, the Yisrael Beiteinu party announced Illouz's joining its ranks yesterday. Illouz attacked the Likud, claiming it "has become a contractor for Deri and Goldknopf," and expressed support for Avigdor Lieberman for Prime Minister. Lieberman, for his part, welcomed the move and stated that Illouz "has shown courage and integrity" throughout his public career.