Netanyahu Selects Key Likud Figures to Lead Party's Media Messaging

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has identified a select group of Likud ministers and Knesset members to serve as the party's primary faces in media and public communication. In recent weeks, Netanyahu held direct meetings and phone conversations with these figures, briefing them on the current security and political situation and urging them to increase their media presence to convey Likud's messages.

The group includes Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chair Boaz Bismuth, Coalition Chair Ofir Katz, Education Minister Yoav Kish, and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Shikli. Netanyahu maintains ongoing contact with this core team, with occasional changes in membership.

These individuals come from diverse backgrounds: Dichter is a former Shin Bet chief; Ohana holds a key parliamentary role; Bismuth has a media background; Katz is closely associated with coalition management; Kish is a former combat pilot; and Shikli has become a prominent national camp spokesperson domestically and internationally. Likud sources say Netanyahu values them for their public influence beyond the party's traditional voter base and their ability to present a statesmanlike image, explain government policies, and handle interviews outside their usual political environment.

Netanyahu's messaging priorities include contrasting the government's handling of the war with what might have occurred under opposition leadership and criticizing figures like Benny Gantz as left-leaning. This strategic media effort reflects Netanyahu's aim to strengthen Likud's communication front amid ongoing security challenges.