Likud Party Exploits Loophole to Secure Funding for New Faction

The Likud party has devised a strategy to ensure the continued receipt of state funding for the "New Hope" faction, even after its de facto merger with Likud. This maneuver allows Gideon Saar, a prominent figure in New Hope, to register as a Likud candidate while simultaneously enabling Talik Guili, who was placed on the Likud list by Prime Minister Netanyahu, to register under the New Hope banner. This arrangement is expected to allow New Hope to receive approximately 1.2 million shekels annually in ongoing funding, plus an advance of about 6 million shekels, due to its incumbent Knesset members.

Saar's decision to register with Likud, rather than New Hope, is intended to preserve his future options within the Likud party, particularly concerning a potential leadership bid after Benjamin Netanyahu. Registering under New Hope could have presented obstacles to such ambitions, potentially requiring the approval of a future Likud leader.

This tactic mirrors similar maneuvers by other parties. Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism and Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit parties have also reportedly exploited loopholes in party funding laws by registering additional separate factions. These actions could potentially secure an additional 1.8 million shekels for each of those parties from state funds.

The practice of registering separate parties within a joint list is not unprecedented. For instance, Chili Tropper sought to join Gadi Eisenkot's list with his own faction, serving as its representative. In the Likud's case, the solution involved Saar registering with Likud and Guili, who was not previously affiliated with New Hope, registering on its behalf, thereby maintaining the faction's funding without compromising Saar's internal Likud prospects.