Former PM Bennett Adds Biotech Entrepreneur Mati Gil to Yachdut Party List for Knesset

Former Israeli Prime Minister and Yachdut party leader Naftali Bennett announced on Wednesday the addition of biotech entrepreneur Mati Gil to the party's candidate list for the 26th Knesset. Gil currently serves as the head of the party's high-tech division and is a key figure in shaping its technology agenda. He is the founding CEO of AION Labs, a startup studio focused on drug discovery and development using artificial intelligence, having launched ten startups in four years under his leadership.

Before founding AION Labs, Gil held senior management roles at Teva Pharmaceuticals. He also served as chief of staff to former Minister of Public Security Avi Dichter and was wounded in a Hamas shooting attack during a briefing near the Gaza border. A reserve lieutenant colonel, Gil helped establish the joint operations center between the IDF and the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in Lebanon during Operation Swords of Iron.

Bennett praised Gil as a "significant addition to Israel’s reform team," highlighting his two decades of leadership in Israeli technology. Gil stated that after years in both public and private sectors, he is joining Bennett to contribute his expertise to advancing reforms in high-tech, science, and healthcare. The move signals Yachdut’s focus on strengthening Israel’s innovation ecosystem through political action.