Netanyahu Meets With MK Tali Gottlieb Ahead of Her Move to Otzma Yehudit
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Knesset Member Tali Gottlieb on Monday, shortly before the deadline for party list submissions. The meeting was reportedly aimed at "nicely concluding" Gottlieb's departure from the Likud party to join Otzma Yehudit.
This comes after Gottlieb had recently accused Netanyahu of "stabbing her in the back" following her placement in the Likud primaries. She had expressed frustration after finishing 12th in the primaries, which would have likely resulted in her being placed around 20th on the final list due to reserved spots.
Gottlieb will now run in the upcoming elections as part of Otzma Yehudit, placed second on the list behind party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir. This move was facilitated by a deal where incumbent number two Yitzhak Wasserlauf agreed to move to third place.
The Likud party has reportedly decided not to contest Gottlieb's departure, agreeing that she can run with Otzma Yehudit without being declared a defector from Likud. However, she remains bound by Likud's factional discipline in Knesset votes until the election.