Primaries

Exclusive recordings have surfaced featuring Likud CEO David Sharan harshly criticizing Minister Gila Gamliel amidst ongoing court hearings regarding alleged irregularities in the party's primaries.

Against the backdrop of drama within the Likud party, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still holds five reserved spots for the party list. Party assessments suggest he will wait until the final moment and may not use all of them.

The recount in Be'er Ya'akov officially determined: the Minister of Innovation has been pushed to an unrealistic spot, and her 25th place will be taken by MK Eti Atiya, who is close to Minister Haim Katz, who responded: "I am undergoing a series of lies and slander by Mrs. Gamliel." The minister claimed irregularities and filed a complaint with the police; her husband was filmed shouting: "They...

Advocate Hovav Damri, husband of the minister who fears for her realistic spot, testified before the party's election committee. However, it turns out that even before the hearing, it was decided to recount the votes at the polling station in Be'er Ya'akov.

Stormy meetings and numerous appeals are shaking the ruling party these days, as the election committee is required to decide on a series of typo corrections and suspicions of unusual gaps in the central polling stations. Senior figures at the top of the Likud are waiting anxiously for the expected decisions that will change the candidates' positions on the list for the Knesset and determine their...

Mapping the primary results reveals the gaps between polling stations. Where did the power of organized groups stand out, where did the "free votes" strengthen - and how did they vote in Druze, Haredi, and Judea and Samaria settlements?

The Likud party announced last night that it would conduct a recount of the votes at a polling station in Be'er Ya'akov, following a decision by the movement's election committee, headed by retired judge Menachem Neeman. The decision was made against the backdrop of anomalous data from the polling station, where 240 valid votes were counted, while the published results stated that Shashi Gueta...

Our correspondent Moti Kastel reports on data from a polling station in Be'er Ya'akov that raises questions regarding the Likud primary results. According to the records, only 240 valid votes were cast, yet the published results credit Shashi Gueta with 260 votes—20 more than the total number of valid ballots.

As first revealed in "Hayom", discrepancies were found in several polling stations between the actual results and the manual protocols. This evening, the party court ruled to reject Minister Gamliel's request to stop the vote count at the polling station in Be'er Ya'akov.

Gila Gamliel filed a petition to the Likud party court demanding to stop the recount of votes in the Be'er Ya'akov branch, which is being held following irregularities found there. The minister fears that Eti Atiya will overtake her and push her to an unrealistic spot on the Knesset list.

An examination conducted by "Hayom" of a number of manual counting forms in the Likud primaries, compared to the data published on the party's website in the official Excel file, reveals, apparently, gaps in a number of polling stations in Jerusalem. The gaps concern both the voting for the list of candidates for the 26th Knesset and the candidates in the Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and Shephelah...

Our correspondent Moti Kastel reported on Sunday: increasing evidence and concerns are emerging regarding irregularities during the vote count in the Likud primaries. Several MKs arrived at Metzudat Ze'ev to review the protocols, where they discovered numerous discrepancies.

The party's 28th conference is convening in Tayibe to select the first five spots, while the executive committee of the United Arab List will select the next five positions. Former MK Yoav Segalovitz is expected to be placed in a realistic spot without running, if the intensive contacts between him and Abbas come to fruition.

Primaries are always a struggle between two forces: organized 'deals' and the free will of party members. At the end of the campaign, Likud chose not a list of 'screamers', but a team of action-oriented leaders who have proven their effectiveness.

Likud primary candidate Smadar Hila Shmueli, who failed to win the "new woman" slot, launches a sharp attack against MK Tali Gottlieb – and warns that the style associated with her could, according to her, cause electoral damage to Likud and the right-wing bloc.

The Likud election committee has approved the party's primary results, yet uncertainty remains regarding the final ranking of several Knesset members. MK Eti Atiya surpassed MK Avichai Boaron by 51 votes, pushing him one spot back. Meanwhile, a pending appeal by MK David Bitan could see him overtake MK Boaz Bismuth.

Likud primaries may lead to the ousting of 17 MKs as the system forces candidates to make deals with party functionaries. Meanwhile, the CBS reports a slowdown in economic growth, and delays at Ben Gurion Airport have become a symbol of a lack of strategic planning.

After more than two years of working on the ground, thousands of kilometers between party members and activists, and a campaign designed to get her on the Likud list, Hadar Muchtar found herself out of the primaries at the moment of truth. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided not to shorten her qualifying period, and she remained out of the race.

Published this evening (Wednesday) in the main news edition: The primaries are behind us, but the battle over the Likud list is far from over. Behind the scenes, a legal move is already being organized against the reserved spots for ministers Israel Katz and Haim Katz.

Amit Halevi, pushed to the 33rd spot on the Likud list, insisted that "getting the 19th spot in Likud is not losing," but in an interview on 103fm, he got into a sharp confrontation with Ron Koffman regarding reserved spots, Gideon Sa'ar, and Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli politics is full of men who said stupid things, did stupid things, flip-flopped, were embarrassed, and became caricatures - but something about Idit Silman evokes not just mockery, but also a desire to see her fall. There are, of course, many excellent reasons for this, but also one less comfortable one: she is a woman.

MK Tali Gottlieb, who ranked 20th in the primaries, opposes the Prime Minister's intention to reserve a spot for Minister Avi Dichter, who was pushed to an unrealistic position. "Start by giving opportunities to female MKs — don't play into the hands of the left with a campaign of excluding women in Likud."

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.

Mati Tuchfeld estimates that Netanyahu is satisfied with the primary results and the leadership elected, but remains with two central problems: David Bitan, who survived despite efforts to weaken him, and Avi Dichter, who was pushed to an unrealistic spot.

Likud spokesperson Guy Levy expressed confidence in the party's electoral victory, ruled out reserved spots for Gabi Ashkenazi or Yossi Cohen, and addressed concerns regarding party list composition and primary irregularities.

The Florida primaries strengthened candidates identified with Donald Trump and defeated two Republican candidates who stood out for their antisemitic remarks. At the same time, a surprise was recorded on the left, as Democrat Angie Nixon won the race for the Senate.

Angie Nixon, who calls Israel's actions "genocide" and was considered a fringe candidate, defeated Jewish contender Alex Windman and won the party's nomination for Florida State Senator. In California, Aisha Wahab, against whom the pro-Israel lobby invested millions in an attempt to stop her, is on her way to victory in the special election for Congress.

Lucy Aharish, host of the program "Sichat HaYom" on Channel 13, harshly attacked Minister Idit Silman, who suffered a heavy defeat in the primaries, and mentioned the huge debt she left behind: "She created a debt that could reach about 4 billion shekels."

In the elected list, there are only two religious candidates in realistic spots, and no representative for security figures. Russian-speaking community representative Ze'ev Elkin is out. Only two women reached a realistic spot. The Prime Minister hopes to bridge the gap with reserved spots.

Likud Central Committee members abandoned public consensus and broad agreements, pushing democracy to the bottom of national priorities. Otherwise, it is hard to explain how their basic 'you break it, you pay for it' mechanism became damaged.

So the primaries are behind us. Congratulations to those who apparently are not continuing. Congratulations to Gamliel, Milwidsky, Silman, Dichter, Vaturi. This is not schadenfreude. You were simply not good at your job.

Following months of tension within the ruling party, the conclusion of the primaries allows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to focus on finalizing the electoral list. He faces the challenge of addressing low female representation and stabilizing the right-wing bloc, which has shown cracks due to friction with Haredi parties and the emergence of new political contenders.

An i24NEWS poll conducted following the Likud primaries shows the party rising to 31 mandates. Despite the gain, the coalition bloc led by Netanyahu remains at 58 mandates.

When she dismantled the 'government of change', Idit Silman received a big embrace from Netanyahu's supporters, but four years later — and this time without receiving a reserved spot or public support from the Prime Minister — it was not enough in the Likud primaries. The minister, who will likely watch the next Knesset from home, understood immediately as the exhausting day ended: the situation...

Deputy Minister Almog Cohen, who secured the eighth spot in the Likud primaries, was interviewed on "Five in the Evening" on 103fm, shared his feelings following the achievement, addressed Benjamin Netanyahu's support, and presented his views regarding the conscription of ultra-Orthodox and his political aspirations.

After reaching an unrealistic spot in the Likud primaries, Minister Golan attacked, stating that "they did not want a right-wing and opinionated woman in the party." In the shadow of the investigation against her, it is possible that Golan will receive a reserved spot on the "Otzma Yehudit" list, following close work with Minister Itamar Ben Gvir throughout the term.

With primaries concluded, the election campaign for the 26th Knesset is entering its final stretch. The schedule includes the submission of final candidate lists, the start of official propaganda, and the general election day on October 27, 2026.

Minister May Golan reacted to the Likud primary results, where despite receiving 19,214 votes, she was pushed to the 40th spot on the party list—a position not considered realistic according to current polls.

Minister Dudi Amsalem, who secured the 17th spot on the Likud list, addressed the primary results on Tuesday via the social network X, thanking party members for their support. Alongside his gratitude, Amsalem reflected on his last term, admitting that he did not manage to accomplish everything he had planned.

In David Amsalem's campaign, they chose to almost completely forgo the direct request to the voter and present him through the people, the struggles, and the moments that shaped him. Only at the last moment did he ask for the members' trust himself.

Despite the victory in the primaries and securing a realistic spot, the Knesset member does not spare criticism, accusing the Prime Minister's advisors of deliberate sabotage attempts while issuing a dramatic political warning for the future.

The results of the Likud primaries have been published, and the outlook for the 2026 elections is becoming clearer. A prominent public relations expert addressed the results and called on Netanyahu to implement revolutionary changes in the country, stating that the people demand change.

Political correspondent Anna Barsky reveals the behind-the-scenes of the Likud: the messages the Prime Minister conveyed to Gotliv's "groupies" that caused them to abandon her, David Bitan's survival against all odds, and the secret of the charm that kept Eli Cohen at the top.

MK Ofir Katz recorded one of the biggest jumps in the Likud primaries, moving from 31st place in the previous race into the party's top five. The success of Deputy Minister Almog Cohen, who received a seniority waiver to run just last week, was also a major surprise. Amichai Chikli entered the top ten, while Idit Silman remained off the list.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Yariv Levin is emerging in third place on the Likud list after the counting of 99% of the votes, which provides him with a significant achievement in the party's primaries. While the results are still coming in, Levin published a post on social media and thanked the members of the movement for the trust they placed in him, saying that it is an...

The Likud primaries have once again proven that the largest movement in the Israeli right is a living, vibrant, and complex creature, one that does not always obey the conductor's instructions. The final results paint a picture of constant tension between Benjamin Netanyahu's desire to shape a list that would be a "copy-paste" of his political vision, and the power of field mechanisms and...

Finance Committee Chairman, MK Hanoch Milwidsky, admitted defeat in the Likud primaries this morning (Tuesday) after failing to secure a realistic spot on the party's list. He stated that he accepts the members' decision and wished the elected candidates success.

The day after the Likud primaries opens a new struggle at the top of the party: one result is particularly troubling to senior officials, and now pressure is being applied on Netanyahu to use a clause that sparked a storm even before the vote.

Aviv Bushinsky, former advisor to Benjamin Netanyahu, analyzes the results of the Likud primaries: according to him, Netanyahu strengthened his control but received a "pale" list. At the same time, he identifies the new and significant axis forming of Bitan-Barkat.

Only two women in realistic spots and a dull list devoid of new faces. This is what a movement looks like that rushed to purge the 'New Likudniks' from its ranks, only to fall into the hands of Haredi vote contractors.