Businessman Oren Dobronski Joins Likud as Netanyahu’s First Reserved Candidate

The Likud party announced on Monday that businessman and entrepreneur Oren Dobronski will be the first reserved candidate on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party list. Dobronski, known to the public from the TV show "The Sharks," is a co-founder of Israel’s high-tech sector and has experience in Silicon Valley. He is expected to lead the party’s initiatives on artificial intelligence across the economy, education, and healthcare after the elections.

This appointment comes amid internal upheaval within Likud’s legal and organizational frameworks. Earlier the same day, the Tel Aviv District Court rejected petitions against the Likud party court’s decision regarding the party’s district primaries. The court upheld the cancellation of a vote that would have allowed current Knesset members, ministers, and deputy ministers to compete for reserved district slots. This cancellation followed a narrow approval margin of five votes and the discovery that five voting envelopes had gone missing, matching the margin exactly. The party court annulled the vote, and attempts to overturn this decision in civil courts failed, meaning the districts remain open only to new candidates without incumbent public officials.

Dobronski’s inclusion aligns with Netanyahu’s broader strategy to reshape the party’s image and messaging ahead of upcoming elections. Recently, Netanyahu has held meetings with select ministers and Knesset members to form a media and public relations front for Likud. This 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. Party sources say Netanyahu aims to build a team with a national profile and media experience capable of reaching beyond Likud’s traditional base and leading messaging on security and political issues.