Channel 14 Host Bids Farewell Amidst Likud Party Reshuffle

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has unveiled new additions to the Likud party's roster, a move that has sparked significant public and media discussion. Among the new candidates are Elisha Medan, a reservist fighter and founder of the settlement of Avigail in Hebron who was injured during the war; Talik Guili, mother of fallen soldier Rani Guili; attorney David Peter, a researcher at the Kohelet Forum; Amir Aviv, chairman of the "Bishvileihem" movement; former Labor faction chairman Eli Goldschmidt; journalist Yaakov Bardugo; and Itzik Bonzel, father of fallen soldier Amit.

During a live broadcast on Channel 14, journalist Yehuda Schlesinger, who co-hosted the program "Seven" with Yaakov Bardugo, announced his departure from the channel, signaling a farewell to his colleague. "After a long period together, evening after evening, shoulder to shoulder, it's time to say goodbye," Schlesinger stated, before playfully chiding Bardugo for not informing him of his decision to join the Likud party. "Yaakov Bardugo is leaving us. I have to tell you, Yaakov, something personal from the heart: You scoundrel, how did you not tell me anything? I sit here every day, you know who's coming and who's going, who's changing parties, who's being thrown out before they're even thrown out. I have to read about it in media splashes? Not a friend."

Political commentator Amnon Abramovich of Channel 12 News offered his perspective on the new Likud additions, suggesting they are loyal to Netanyahu rather than the party itself. "The candidates are not for the Likud, they are for Netanyahu. They are not Likudniks, they are Bibi-ists," Abramovich asserted. He believes Netanyahu needs them solely to promote his agenda until the upcoming elections on October 27th, after which he will have little interest in them, and many will not secure a Knesset seat.

Abramovich also commented on Oren Dobronsky and Amir Aviv, who initially refused Netanyahu's offer to join the party. He noted that those who refused reflect positively on those who accepted. Abramovich mentioned Dobronsky's refusal, implying it stemmed from his unwillingness to relinquish his American citizenship, suggesting a preference for Israel as a secondary nation. He also touched upon Aviv's initial refusal of a lower spot on the list, leading to Netanyahu's offer of an external ministerial role, highlighting Netanyahu's perceived weakness for wealthy individuals, particularly those with American citizenship.