Israeli Parties Rush to Submit Knesset Lists Before Deadline
Translated & summarized from Behadrei Haredim by baba
Israeli political parties are in a last-minute rush to submit their candidate lists for the upcoming Knesset elections before the Tuesday night deadline. Significant political maneuvering, including candidate placements and inter-party disputes, is ongoing as the final picture of the electoral race takes shape.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Parties are submitting lists for the 26th Knesset election by a Tuesday night deadline.
- Several parties have already filed, with major ones expected later.
- Political maneuvering includes candidate placements and internal party changes.
- A notable exchange occurred between Yoaz Hendel and Benny Gantz regarding poll performance.
- The final list of candidates will be clear after submissions are complete.
The race to submit party lists for the 26th Knesset entered its final hours on Tuesday, with the official deadline set for 10:00 PM, though submissions are expected to continue until midnight. Several parties have already filed their lists, including Yishar led by Gadi Eisenkot, the "Together" party of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, Democrats, Yisrael Beiteinu, Otzma Yehudit, Omech Yisrael led by Ofer Vinter, Ra'am (with Yoav Segalovitz), and the reservists of Yoaz Hendel, alongside Professor Yaron Zelekha and former MK Einat Wilf. In the final hours, Shas and the "Haredi Public" party, led by Moti Leitner and aiming to challenge established Haredi parties, also submitted their lists.
Meanwhile, major parties like Likud, the Religious Zionism bloc (technically with Moshe Feiglin), and United Torah Judaism, which has undergone significant internal changes following controversy over the ousting of leaders like Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Litzman, are expected to submit their lists later. The Arab parties, Hadash-Ta'al and Balad, are also expected to run together.
Political maneuvering continues alongside the list submissions. It was reported that Lt. Col. (res.) Itamar Eitam will be placed on the Religious Zionism list. In Likud, the party secretariat approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reserved slots, with Netanyahu stating that Amir Aviv had yielded his spot to Avichai Boaron to allow Boaron entry into the Knesset, with Aviv to serve as an external minister.
In a notable exchange, Yoaz Hendel, whose party is polling below the electoral threshold, urged Benny Gantz, who is also struggling in polls, to withdraw from the race, arguing it would aid the effort to form a "Zionist alternative government." Gantz retorted that Hendel still had five hours to switch parties himself.
As the deadline approaches, negotiations, placements, and inter-party disputes persist, with the final slate of candidates for the 26th Knesset expected to be clear only after the submission process is complete.
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