Likud Forum Recommends 12 Candidates Avoiding Divisive Speech Ahead of Primaries

Ahead of the Likud party primaries scheduled for Monday, the party's Hadar Forum released a list of 12 recommended candidates for party members to support. The forum's recommendations are based on a "speech index" that evaluates politicians' discourse on social media over the past two years. The forum emphasizes the importance of avoiding divisive rhetoric, which it claims alienates voters and harms both Likud and national unity. According to the forum, "only cleansing Likud of divisive figures will bring voters back home and ensure the national camp's victory in the elections."

Among the recommended candidates are Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, ministers Ze'ev Elkin, Avi Dichter, Gila Gamliel, and Yariv Levin, as well as MKs Amit Halevi, Avichai Boaron, Shason Guetta, Eli Dellal, Shalom Danino, Abd Afif, and Eti Chava Atiya. The forum highlights that the list is grounded in data from the speech index, which monitors the language used by Knesset members across all parties on social media. It aims to promote candidates who avoid inflammatory speech and maintain respectful language. The forum believes that fostering unifying discourse will strengthen Likud and reduce societal polarization in Israel.