Netanyahu Appoints Hadar Mukhtar as Likud Youth Chief Despite Previous Exclusion

Yaron Avraham, the political correspondent for Channel 12 News, expressed shock and called it "a form of abuse" following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to appoint Hadar Mukhtar as head of the Likud youth campaign staff ahead of the upcoming elections. This appointment comes after Netanyahu had previously blocked Mukhtar from running in the party primaries. Mukhtar, an active social media figure, had appealed to her followers to pressure Netanyahu to shorten her required probation period since she joined the party relatively late.

Mukhtar's challenges did not end there. Recent reports indicated she was negotiating with Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to join the Otzma Yehudit party, but Ben-Gvir publicly stated she would not enter the next Knesset and advised her to gain more parliamentary experience before attempting again. Despite these setbacks, Netanyahu officially named Mukhtar, 24, a computer science master's graduate and former Unit 8200 member, as head of the Likud youth campaign staff, praising her as an influential opinion leader who will contribute significantly to the campaign.

The Likud party announcement wished her success in her new role, highlighting the Prime Minister's confidence in her abilities despite the earlier controversies and obstacles she faced within the party.