Gottlieb Joins Ben-Gvir's Party, Takes Second Spot on List

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced Friday that Knesset member Tally Gottlieb has left the Likud party to join his Otzma Yehudit party, where she will be the second-ranked candidate on the list. Ben-Gvir stated that Gottlieb would strengthen the party, praising her as a "lioness" who fought from the right and against the "deep state." He initially offered her the third position, but Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf agreed to take third place to accommodate Gottlieb in second.

Gottlieb expressed that Ben-Gvir seeks strong individuals by his side and that she brings an uncompromising ability to fight against bureaucracy, citing her success in challenging immunity and defeating the "Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and her group." She added that the public "thirsts for Otzma Yehudit."

Earlier, the Likud party had announced an agreement with Gottlieb for her to join Otzma Yehudit, with the stipulation that she would vote with Likud in the Knesset until the elections. Following Likud's primary elections, Gottlieb had accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to sideline her, claiming she was pushed from the 12th to the 20th spot on the Likud list after Netanyahu appointed his own preferred candidates to secure positions.