Shas and Joint List Unveil Candidate Rosters for 26th Knesset Elections
The Shas party has unveiled its candidate list for the 26th Knesset elections, featuring key promotions for younger members. Meanwhile, the Joint List finalized its roster, led by Yousef Jabareen.
The ultra-Orthodox Sephardic party Shas published its official candidate list on Tuesday morning for the upcoming elections to the 26th Knesset, introducing two new figures and shifting several prominent members.
Party leader Aryeh Deri remains at the helm of the list. However, significant changes occurred in the top tier: MK Yinon Azulai made a major leap from the seventh spot in the previous election to the second position. Former ministers Michael Malchieli, Yoav Ben-Tzur, and Chaim Biton secured the third, fourth, and fifth spots, respectively.
New Faces and Internal Shifts
Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Dror Amos, who currently serves as the head of the Haifa Religious Council, was placed in the sixth spot. He is followed by Moshe Abutbul, Uriel Busso, Yosef Taieb, Yonathan Mashriki, and Yosef Alnatnov. Alnatnov, a new addition representing the Bukharian Jewish community, was placed in the 11th spot. The list is rounded out by Erez Malul and Simon Moshiahsvili.
This reshuffle reflects Shas's effort to project renewal by promoting younger members to realistic slots. Earlier this week, Deri convened the Council of Torah Sages to finalize the roster. Some lawmakers had expressed anxiety over potential demotions. Yoav Ben-Tzur dropped one spot compared to the previous Knesset list, while Moshe Abutbul rose to seventh.
Alnatnov, who manages the "Beit Yosef" Talmud Torah school in Holon, also serves as a rabbi for the "Beit Asher V'Mordechai" synagogue in the Kiryat Shalom neighborhood of Tel Aviv.
Joint List Finalizes Candidates
Meanwhile, the Joint List—comprising Hadash, Balad, and Ta'al—is expected to submit its official roster to the Central Elections Committee by 18:00.
Professor Yousef Jabareen (Hadash) will lead the alliance in the first spot, followed by Ahmad Tibi (Ta'al) in second, and Sami Abu Shehadeh (Balad) in third. The subsequent spots are held by Dr. Faten Ghattas (Hadash), Bakr Awawdeh (Balad), Ofer Cassif (Hadash), Yosef Atauna (Hadash), Maha Karkabi (Balad), attorney Ahmad Darawshe (Ta'al), Dr. Nihaya Washahi (Hadash), Hassan Nassasra (Balad), Haitham Zahalka, and Iyas Nator (Hadash).
Notably absent from the list is Jafar Farah, who was slated for the fourth spot after winning second place in the Hadash primaries. Farah withdrew from the race following allegations of sexual harassment. The Hadash council selected Dr. Faten Ghattas, a resident of Rameh and director of the Israel Cancer Association's activities in Arab society, to take his place.
