Israeli Parties Submit Candidate Lists Ahead of Election Deadline

Israeli political parties are submitting their candidate lists and designated ballot letters to the Central Elections Committee chairman, Judge Noam Sohlberg, on Monday and Tuesday. This marks a crucial step in finalizing preparations for the upcoming general elections.

The Joint List is expected to delay its submission until Tuesday due to an internal crisis concerning second-ranked candidate Jaafar Farah, who faces harassment allegations and has refused to withdraw his candidacy. The Front's council is convening Monday evening to resolve the issue and finalize the list's composition.

Far-right party Amichai Israel, led by Ofir Ventur, was the first to submit its list, a move seen as an attempt to preempt Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's pressure to join right-wing alliances and avoid falling below the electoral threshold. Other parties expected to submit their lists on Monday include Yair Golan's Democrats and Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu. Bayahd, led by Naftali Bennett, has announced its candidates, while Yachad, led by Gadi Eisenkot, is anticipated to reveal its list on Monday.

Both Bayahd and Yachad have not definitively ruled out running on a joint list, though internal polls suggest a combined list would not significantly increase their parliamentary representation. The Likud party has yet to reveal its final list, with reports indicating Netanyahu is considering reshuffling candidates to accommodate internal pressures regarding primary election results. Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit has also not announced its full list, following the defection of Knesset member Tally Gotliv from Likud and her subsequent nomination for the second spot. Otzma Yehudit and the Religious Zionism-Zehut technical bloc are expected to submit their lists on Tuesday, while the ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism continue to finalize theirs.