Israel's Knesset Election Lists Deadline Looms

The deadline for submitting electoral lists for Israel's 26th Knesset is approaching, with the Central Elections Committee set to close the submission window on Tuesday evening. The process, overseen by Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, will accept documents from 4 PM to 10 PM, with a possible extension at Sohlberg's discretion.

Several parties are expected to finalize their submissions today. These include the Likud party, the three-way joint list comprising the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality, the Arab Movement for Change, and the National Democratic Assembly, as well as the Shas party, led by Aryeh Deri, and the United Torah Judaism list. The "Hetzionut Hadatit" party, headed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, is also expected to submit its list, in alliance with former Knesset member Moshe Feiglin.

The Likud party's submission is particularly anticipated due to a delay in announcing its candidate list, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yet to reveal all his chosen candidates for protected spots. This comes as the party prepares to submit its full list to the committee.

On Monday, the Central Elections Committee received submissions from several other parties. These included Naftali Bennett's "Bayahad" party, Avigdor Lieberman's "Yisrael Beiteinu," Gadi Eisenkot's "Yashar," the United Arab List led by Dr. Mansour Abbas, Yair Golan's "Hadيمقراطيم," Ofir Winter's "Amcha Israel," Itamar Ben-Gvir's "Otzma Yehudit," "Partnership for All" led by Talal Al-Qarinawi, and the "King Sharshar" and "Pirates" lists.

The committee is preparing to close the submission process after a continuous influx of documents on Monday and Tuesday, marking a critical phase in the lead-up to the elections.