Israeli Business Leaders Provide Large Guarantees to Fund New Political Campaigns
Ahead of the upcoming Israeli elections, prominent business figures including Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett have secured substantial financial guarantees to support their respective new political campaigns. Eisenkot raised 11.8 million shekels, while Bennett gathered 30 million shekels in guarantees, with more expected. These guarantees are crucial for new parties that lack the assured state funding granted to established parties based on their current Knesset seats.
The guarantees enable parties to receive state advances or bank loans to finance campaign activities before official funds are disbursed. Unlike donations, which are capped at 14,000 shekels per individual and cannot come from corporations, guarantees have no upper limit. This mechanism has attracted leading businessmen such as Alfred Akirov, founder of Alrov and major shareholder in Clal Insurance, and Shmuel Harlap, owner of CalMobil, who have repeatedly backed new parties with large guarantees.
For example, Bennett 2026 secured guarantees from several high-profile entrepreneurs including Asaf Wand, co-founder of Hippo, and Yoav Shoham, each contributing one to two million shekels. Eisenkot’s campaign similarly benefits from support by Akirov and Harlap, who have a history of backing various political figures including Gideon Sa’ar and Benny Gantz in previous elections.
While some newer parties like Moshe Feiglin’s Zehut and Yaron Zelekha’s New Economic Party rely on smaller public donations without major business involvement, the trend among leading new parties is to leverage guarantees to overcome funding limitations. Business leaders interviewed emphasized their support is based on belief in the politicians rather than business interests, rejecting any linkage between political backing and commercial gain.
This financial strategy raises public questions about the identities of guarantors and the implications of such involvement in politics. Some donors express concern that visible political support could provoke backlash or retaliation from opposing political factions. Nonetheless, the practice remains a key tool for new parties to compete effectively in Israel’s political landscape.
