Likud Primaries: Risers, Fallers, and New Faces Unlikely to Reach the Knesset
Tali Gottlieb gained 15,000 votes, while Avi Dichter lost 15,000: a full overview of the changes since 2022 and the district winners placed in spots considered unrealistic without the 'Norwegian Law'. The list ranges from a controversial former Bar Association head to a publicist with a criminal record.
Aside from the "shark" Oren Dubronsky, reserved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, there are virtually no new names among the top 20 of the Likud list for the Knesset. Netanyahu's additional reserved spots may change the picture, but the primaries themselves are not expected to bring in new faces—unless Likud surges in seat count or activates the "Norwegian Law" once more. In any case, any new faces will come from the districts. If they do enter the Knesset, they will hope their term does not end like their predecessors'. All district winners in the 2022 primaries—Avichai Boaron, Amit Halevi, Nissim Vaturi, Shalom Danino, Osher Shkalim, and Sasson Guetta—were forced to run on the national list and were pushed out of realistic spots.
Compared to 2022, the biggest jump belongs to Coalition Chairman Ofir Katz, who climbed to fifth place with 4,527 more votes than four years ago. Netanyahu curbed Tali Gottlieb's rise, placing her 12th in the primaries (20th overall), yet her surge was the largest—15,035 more votes than her first run. Miri Regev and Amir Ohana also improved by over 5,000 votes. Conversely, the biggest drop belongs to Minister of Agriculture Avi Dichter, who received about half his 2022 total (dropping from 31,195 to 15,603). Nir Barkat and Dudi Amsalem also lost over 10,000 votes. Eli Cohen, who was second in the previous primaries, climbed to the top this week with a nearly identical vote count.
District winners were placed 27th and below. Erez Tadmor, who won the unified Jerusalem-Judea and Samaria-Shfela district with Netanyahu's support, is a publicist and radio host on "Galey Israel" and a founder of the "Im Tirtzu" movement. During his military service, he was convicted of stealing military equipment and served 45 days in prison. In 28th place is Shlomo Lerner, a reservist and businessman who won the Dan and Tel Aviv district. In 30th place is Shuki Ohana, the former mayor of Safed who lost the 2024 election. Deputy Mayor of Netivot Moshe Benjamin Peretz (31st place) intends to focus on education reform. The only new face in the top 40 without a district run or reservation is Keren Atias Bublil, Deputy Mayor of Nahariya.
The most controversial district winner is former Bar Association head Efi Nave (36th place). His name was linked to the "sex for appointments" affair, though the case was closed after hearings. The second Nahariya resident, Zviel Rubin, is in 42nd place, from which he is unlikely to enter the Knesset, much like many others mentioned here.
