The party’s primary philosophy includes a more hardline approach toward territorial concessions for the Palestinians and a commitment to economic liberalism (the latter tenet has mattered less as an ideological determinant since the privatization of Israel’s economy). While Benjamin Netanyahu has offered tepid endorsement of a two-state solution (which he has since walked back), the party officially opposes the creation of a Palestinian state. Last year, the Likud Central Committee overwhelmingly voted to endorse de facto annexation of West Bank Area C. On the eve of the April elections, Prime Minister Netanyahu promised to annex West Bank settlements, without regard for their size or location.

The party remains broadly committed to keeping Prime Minister Netanyahu in office, despite pending indictments against him in three corruption cases. In the last election cycle, Likud won 35 seats, but failed to form a government that would vote to grant Netanyahu immunity when Avigdor Liberman refused to have his Yisrael Beiteinu sit alongside the ultra-Orthodox parties. Theoretically, Likud sans-Netanyahu could have joined a unity government with Kachol Lavan. However, the party supported the prime minister’s push for new elections instead. Likud MKs like Gideon Saar and Michal Shir, perceived as critical of Netanyahu, ultimately voted in favor of dissolving the Knesset and moving to new elections.

In the lead up to the current election cycle, Likud merged with the center-right socioeconomic issues-focused party Kulanu, led by Moshe Kahlon, himself a former Likudnik. However, the party risks losing support to smaller right-wing factions, and Netanyahu is making shutting out Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu a special priority.

Party List:

1. Benjamin Netanyahu

2. Yuli Edelstein

3. Yisrael Katz

4. Gilad Erdan

5. Moshe Kahlon

6. Gideon Sa’ar

7. Miri Regev

8. Yariv Levin

9. Yoav Gallant

10. Nir Barkat

11. Gila Gamliel

12. Avi Dichter

13. Zeev Elkin

14. Haim Katz

15. Eli Cohen

16. Tzachi Hanegbi

17. Ofir Akunis

18. Yuval Steinitz

19. Tzipi Hotovely

20. David Amsalem

21. Amir Ohana

22. Ofir Katz

23. Etty Atia

24. Yoav Kish

25. David Bitan

26. Keren Barak

27. Shlomo Karhi

28. Miki Zohar

29. Yifat Shasha-Biton

30. Sharren Haskel

31. Michal Shir

32. Keti Shitrit

33. Patin Mula

34. May Golan

35. Tali Ploskov

36. Uzi Dayan

37. Ariel Kallner

38. Osnat Mark

39. Amit Halevi

40. Nissim Vaturi

41. Shevach Stern

42. Ayoub Kara

43. Moti Yogev

44. Yehuda Glick

45. Nurit Koren

In the last election campaign, Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked split from Habayit Hayehudi to form Hayamin Hehadash, in order to separate their brand of right-wing politics from the perceived narrow religious interests of factions like Tkuma. However, their new list failed to pass the electoral threshold. Meanwhile, at the urging of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the rump Bayit Yehudi (including Tkuma) merged with the Kahanist faction Otzma Yehudit, yielding five seats as the Union of Right-Wing Parties. With the advent of a new election, Shaked and Bennett decided to return to politics, this time with Shaked in the number one spot in Hayamin Hehadash. Despite initial resistance from Peretz, Shaked, who is widely popular on the right in Israel, was granted the leadership of the united list.

It has long been speculated that Ayelet Shaked would eventually like to assume the leadership of Likud once Benjamin Netanyahu is off the scene. The prime minister and his wife, Sara, are both distrusting of Shaked, whom Netanyahu fired after the April elections from her position as minister of justice, along with Naftali Bennett as education minister. Netanyahu also declined to fast-track Shaked’s candidacy with Likud for the September elections, and has resisted calls to run a joint ticket with the Union of Right-Wing Parties.

Party List:

1. Ayelet Shaked

2. Rafi Peretz

3. Bezalel Smotrich

4. Naftali Bennett

5. Moti Yogev

6. Ofir Sofer

7. Matan Kahana

8. Idit Salman

9. Roni Sassover

10. Orit Strok

11. Shai Maimon

12. Shuli Moalem-Refaeli

13. Eli Ben Dahan

14. Yossi Cohen

15. Shirley Pinto

Although Yisrael Beiteinu had its worst finish ever in April, yielding only five seats, Prime Minister Netanyahu needed the party to join his coalition in order to have a majority in the Knesset. Avigdor Liberman ultimately took a firm stance on ultra-Orthodox conscription, prompting a confrontation with the United Torah Judaism and Shas parties. Netanyahu initially sided with Liberman before backing up the religious parties, while Liberman failed to join the government, despite having recommended Netanyahu as prime minister. Rather than allow another candidate to form the government, Prime Minister Netanyahu moved for new elections.

Liberman’s stand on secularism is in line with his previous positions, although he has sat in government with the ultra-Orthodox parties before. His refusal to bow to ultra-Orthodox demands appeals to a largely secular Russian-speaking base (immigrants from the former Soviet Union have often been mistreated by Israel’s religious authorities), as well as to the broader Israeli public. Current polling indicates that this could benefit Yisrael Beiteinu come election day. However, there is also an element of personal rivalry between Netanyahu and Liberman, who was once the prime minister’s subordinate within Likud. Because of this, Netanyahu has taken a particularly vindictive tack against his erstwhile colleague. Liberman, for his part, is calling for a national unity government including his party, Kachol Lavan, and Likud, and excluding leftist factions and the predominantly Arab Joint List. Such an eventuality would presumably exclude Netanyahu too, as Kachol Lavan has committed to not join a government in which the prime minister faces indictment. Liberman seeks the defense, immigration absorption, interior, and health ministries for his party.

Avigdor Liberman lives in the West Bank settlement of Nokdim. However, Yisrael Beiteinu officially supports a version of the two-state solution colloquially known as the Liberman Plan. Under the Liberman Plan, large settlements would be annexed to Israel, but predominantly Arab parts of Israel, such as the Triangle in northern Israel, would be ceded a future Palestinian state. This program is strongly opposed by Palestinian citizens of Israel, who do not want to surrender their citizenship. Liberman is hawkish on military affairs, often seeking to position himself as more militant than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Indeed, it was Liberman who brought the coalition to a single-seat majority when he resigned in protest over a ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza, criticizing Netanyahu’s government as soft on terror.

Party List:

1. Avigdor Lieberman

2. Oded Forer

3. Evgeny Sova

4. Eli Avidar

5. Yulia Malinovsky

6. Hamad Amar

7. Alex Kushnir

8. Mark Ifraimov

9. Limor Magen-Telem

10. Elina Bardach-Yalov

11. Shadi Halul

12. Alex Fridman

13. David Davidyan

14. Shahar Alon

15. Ilana Kartysh