Israeli Parties Submit Knesset Candidate Lists Ahead of Elections

The submission of candidate lists for the 26th Knesset elections has begun in Israel. Early submissions came from the "Bayehad" party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, and the "Yashar" party, indicating their decision to run separately. The "Amcha Yisrael" party, headed by Ofer Winter, also submitted its list. Negotiations between "Amcha Yisrael" and the new ultra-Orthodox party "HaTzibur HaCharedi," led by Moti Leitner, for a joint run failed, with Winter's offer of eighth and ninth place on the list being rejected.

Meanwhile, "Otzma Yehudit" is still finalizing its list. Sources within the party claim Itamar Ben-Gvir refused to offer Social Equality Minister May Golan a spot on the list. Golan, however, stated she decided to decline the offered position. The ultra-Orthodox website "Kikar HaShabbat" reported that Ben-Gvir intends to include Yossi Goldberger, the first Haredi representative, on his list.

The "Likud" party is discussing candidates for reserved spots designated for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Channel 14 reported that Netanyahu is only sharing these names with his closest associates. The identities of these appointed candidates are expected to be released soon, with speculation that two spots might go to candidates who did not pass the party's primaries, including former Shin Bet chief Avi Dichter.

The deadline for submitting candidate lists is September 7th at 5:00 PM, with further submissions allowed on September 8th from 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM. After this, no changes to the submitted lists will be permitted.