Israeli Politicians Recount Humiliating Last-Minute Election List Ousters

Several former Israeli lawmakers have shared their experiences of being abruptly removed from party election lists at the very last minute, often with little explanation. These "election day" moments arrive early for politicians in parties that do not hold primaries, where a single individual can determine their fate.

Danny Ayalon, former Deputy Foreign Minister and a senior figure in the Yisrael Beiteinu party, described receiving a sudden phone call from party leader Avigdor Lieberman just before the deadline in 2012. Lieberman informed him he was no longer on the list, a decision Ayalon found shocking and humiliating, especially after receiving positive feedback about his performance. He felt the timing was deliberate to prevent any possibility of him finding another spot on a different list.

Nissim Ze'ev, a founding member and 16-year Knesset member for the Shas party, recounted a similarly abrupt dismissal in 2015. He received a letter via a messenger from Rabbi Shalom Cohen on the day lists were finalized, informing him he was out. Ze'ev attributes his ouster to party chairman Aryeh Deri, with whom he had a long-standing feud, calling the method "cowardly" and "cheating."

Issawi Freij, a former Meretz minister and MK, experienced a different kind of last-minute squeeze. In January 2020, just two days before list submissions closed, a merger between Labor-Gesher and Meretz pushed him from a realistic sixth position to an unlikely eleventh. Freij felt this was a deliberate tactic to create chaos and prevent appeals, stating that "when you need a sacrifice, it's always easiest to find the Arab victim and step on him."

These politicians emphasize the lack of recourse and the deliberate timing of these decisions, often made late at night or just before deadlines, to prevent any challenges or appeals. They express bitterness over the "humiliating" and "cowardly" manner of their dismissals, highlighting how party leaders can wield significant power to remove individuals without due process.