Knesset Election Registration Begins as Bennett and Eisenkot Submit Separate Lists
The submission of candidate lists for the Knesset elections began on Monday, signaling that Naftali Bennett and Gadi Eisenkot will run separately. Meanwhile, Likud postponed its vote on reserved spots amid internal disputes.
The submission of candidate lists for the 26th Knesset elections officially commenced at the Central Elections Committee in the Knesset building on Monday. The arrival of Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett separately at the submission hall strongly signals that a political merger between their respective parties will not take place. The registration process is scheduled to continue until Tuesday, closing strictly at 22:00.
The first five political parties expected to submit their lists are "The Reservists" led by Yoaz Hendel, "BeYachad" led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, "Yashar!" led by Gadi Eisenkot, "Amcha Yisrael" led by Ofer Winter, and "Israel First" led by Sharren Haskel.
Pressure on the Right
On the right wing of the political spectrum, intense pressure continues to mount on Ofer Winter, the leader of "Amcha Yisrael." Sources close to Winter indicate that his team intends to submit their list on Monday. This strategic move is designed to demonstrate that the party will run independently, thereby neutralizing any last-minute pressure to merge or alter their roster. Meanwhile, a potential alliance between Winter and economist Yaron Zelecha has been officially ruled out, following Zelecha's merger with Yoaz Hendel on Sunday night.
Likud Reservation Drama
Within the ruling Likud party, internal drama persists regarding the prime minister's discretionary reserved spots on the electoral list. Following several high-profile refusals of these reserved slots, the party decided to postpone the Likud Central Committee vote on the matter until Tuesday. Party officials have not ruled out making further adjustments to the specific slots allocated to candidates before the final deadline.
