Minister Mazi Golan Expected to Join Otzma Yehudit Party

Minister Mazi Golan is reportedly set to be placed on the Otzma Yehudit party's Knesset list, a move that would secure her parliamentary seat. Golan had previously placed 23rd in the Likud party's primary elections, a position considered unrealistic for election due to Prime Minister Netanyahu's reserved spots on the list. When asked about the possibility of Golan joining Otzma Yehudit, party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir did not rule it out, stating, "Mazi Golan is a good friend of mine, she is an excellent minister. We will publish the list later. It's not enough to be friends, but you will see in the list we publish what Otzma Yehudit will bring."

Golan herself has hinted that she will not leave the Knesset despite her primary election results. Following the primaries, she criticized "sources on behalf of the Prime Minister," alleging that false spin was spread before the vote by those who did not want a right-wing, opinionated woman in the party. She claimed these sources considered her "too right-wing" and a potential obstacle to future government plans. Golan entered the Knesset for the first time in 2019 at the age of 32, after garnering approximately 7,000 votes from young Likud members. In the current government, Golan serves as the Minister for the Advancement of the Status of Women and Social Equality.