Israeli Parties Finalize Knesset Lists Amid Last-Minute Deals and Surprises

The deadline for submitting party lists for the upcoming Knesset elections is Tuesday, September 8th, with the Central Elections Committee having received 18 lists by Monday evening. The final submission time is 10 PM, with a possible extension to midnight by the committee's chairman, Judge Noam Solberg. After this deadline, no new alliances can be formed, and no candidates can be added to existing lists, making the final hours a period of intense political negotiation.

Significant drama unfolded within the Likud party, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held off on finalizing reserved spots on the list, causing internal discontent. Despite demands from the party court to present proposals for these reserved positions in advance, Netanyahu continued to shape the list until the last moment. Each reserved spot impacts the ranking of candidates who secured their positions through primaries. Among the reserved spots, Netanyahu decided to include Elisha Madan, a reservist soldier severely wounded in Gaza, and Talik Gvili, the mother of a soldier killed on October 7th. Another reserved position went to attorney David Peter. Oren Dobronsky was initially considered for a spot but withdrew due to potential financial consequences related to his U.S. citizenship.

In the ultra-Orthodox sector, Yahadut HaTorah saw a generational shift within Degel HaTorah, with Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev stepping down from the parliamentary list, and Yaakov Asher expected to take the top spot. Agudat Yisrael also saw changes, with Yisrael Eichler being replaced by Elyakim Stark. The Shas party maintained its core leadership under Aryeh Deri but added reserve lieutenant colonel Dror Amos and Yosef Elnatanov to its list.

The Arab joint list (Hadash-Ta'al-Balad) faced a last-minute scandal when Jafar Farah withdrew from the race following accusations of sexual harassment. The party is reportedly considering a female candidate to replace him, potentially addressing criticism about the underrepresentation of women.

In the right-wing camp, Ofer Winter's party "Am Israel" submitted its list separately, ending technical merger talks with Bezalel Smotrich's "Tzionut Datit." Smotrich, however, agreed to a technical bloc with Moshe Feiglin's "Zeut" party. Benny Gantz's "National Unity" party faced challenges, with negotiations for a joint list with Gilad Erdan failing, and Michael Biton leaving the party. Gantz also will not unite with Yoaz Hendel's party, which merged with Yaron Zelicha's economic party.

The final hours before the list submission deadline are crucial in Israel's closed-list system, where candidate placement significantly impacts electoral success. The current election campaign highlights a trend of parties incorporating individuals with compelling personal stories, particularly those connected to the war, alongside political experience, to enhance their public image and electoral appeal.