Likud Party Event Sees Netanyahu Hailed as 'King of Israel'

The Likud party held a celebratory event in Tel Aviv on Thursday, September 17, coinciding with the final registration of its parliamentary election list for the October 27 elections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his wife Sara, and ministers were in attendance at the Expo complex. The event, which began approximately two hours late, drew several hundred Likud supporters and was hosted by Daniel Assayag. Assayag highlighted the party's achievements and invited all candidates to the stage before Netanyahu and his wife appeared.

Upon their entrance, Netanyahu and his wife were met with enthusiastic applause and chants of "Bibi is the King of Israel," referring to the Prime Minister by his nickname. The event's proceedings were briefly disrupted earlier when police asked the driver of a van displaying campaign materials for the "Yashar" party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, to move from its parking spot. The van was parked near a Likud vehicle featuring an image of Netanyahu.

The "Yashar" van's screens showed campaign slogans criticizing Netanyahu and Likud, including references to the events of October 7 and draft evasion. This incident occurred as Likud Central Committee members arrived for the celebration. Earlier, Prime Minister Netanyahu had increased the number of candidates with reserved spots on the Likud list, including Itzik Bonzel, whose son Amit was killed in Gaza in December 2023.