Yisrael Beiteinu Unveils Knesset List with New Faces, Lieberman at Helm

The Yisrael Beiteinu party has presented its candidate list for the upcoming Knesset elections, with party chairman Avigdor Lieberman predictably leading.

Newcomers to national politics occupy the second and third spots: former Beit She'an mayor and "Moetzet October" founder Rafael Ben-Shitrit, whose organization advocates for an independent commission to investigate the October 7th Hamas attacks, and Talia Lancre, a reserve colonel and former member of the Gederah city council who served in the National Security Council's rear department and was appointed to an IDF General Staff expert group in 2025.

Longtime Lieberman associate Oded Forer is fourth, followed by Yulia Malinovskaya in fifth. Sharon Sharabi, brother of a released hostage and a victim killed by Hamas, is sixth. Hamad Ammar, a veteran of the party and representative of the Druze community, is seventh. Eighth is journalist Yevgeny Sofa, who has been with Yisrael Beiteinu for seven years. Ninth is Elvira Kolikhman, deputy mayor of Lod and known as the "Iron Lady of Ganei Aviv." Rounding out the top ten is Dan Iluz, who recently defected from the Likud party.

Notably absent from the list are Sofi Landver and Mikhail Pelevart, who had previously announced their intention to join Yisrael Beiteinu.

Lieberman stated that he does not intend to form pre-election blocs, believing they offer no advantage. He called for a "convincing victory" to establish a "Zionist, statist, and liberal government" composed exclusively of Zionist parties. He expressed belief that the Likud, without Benjamin Netanyahu, would join such a government later.

While current polls are considered unreliable, they collectively suggest Yisrael Beiteinu may secure 7-9 seats in the election.