Gottlieb Reaches Deal With Likud and Otzma Yehudit, Stays in Knesset

Likud and Otzma Yehudit have reached an agreement regarding MK Tali Gottlieb, allowing her to run in the 26th Knesset elections on the Ben-Gvir slate without being declared out of the party. Gottlieb has committed to adhering to Likud's factional discipline during votes until the next election. This week, Otzma Yehudit announced Gottlieb would receive a high-ranking spot on the party's list. Her move stems from a perceived decline in her standing within Likud; following primaries and the allocation of reserved seats, her position was jeopardized, questioning her re-election prospects. Earlier last month, Gottlieb strongly criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu's decision to reserve spots on the list for ministers Yisrael Katz, Haim Katz, and Gideon Saar, calling the reservation for Yisrael Katz a "disgraceful move that mocks Likud voters." In recent days, she has publicly criticized Netanyahu's office, Yair Netanyahu, faction chairman Ofir Katz, and "master of intrigue" Yonatan Urikh on X, accusing them of orchestrating a campaign to remove her from Likud. According to Ben-Gvir, based on poll results, Gottlieb's move could add approximately two mandates to Otzma Yehudit. He has promised her a ministerial position should the party join the government.