Avigdor Lieberman Presents Yisrael Beytenu Knesset List at Tel Aviv Convention

The Yisrael Beytenu party held an election convention on Sunday evening at the Expo Tel Aviv center, where party chairman Avigdor Lieberman presented the list of candidates for the Knesset ahead of the upcoming elections. During the convention, several party members delivered speeches, introducing Lieberman as "the next prime minister."

Lieberman stated at the beginning of his address:

"Since we established Yisrael Beytenu, we have remained loyal to our path. We did not zigzag, we did not blink, and we always stood by our principles as a Zionist and liberal right-wing party, whose vision is based on the teachings of Herzl and Jabotinsky. A party with ideology and deep roots in society."

New Candidates and List Reshuffling

Over the past few months, several new candidates have joined Yisrael Beytenu. Among them is former MK Dan Illouz, who left Likud after serving only one term and announced his support for Lieberman early last month. On the same day, August 5, Lili Ben-Ami, founder of the Michal Sela Forum, also announced she was joining the party.

It appears that retired Colonel Talia Lankri, another new member, will secure a top spot on the list, and potentially Rafi Ben-Shitrit as well. Meanwhile, Givat Shmuel Mayor Yossi Brodny was left out of the slate.

Conversely, some of the party's incumbent MKs are reportedly dissatisfied, as they are expected to be placed in lower, less secure positions on the list.

Bereaved Families and Reservists

In March, Rafi Ben-Shitrit, who lost his son Elroi in the battle at Nahal Oz during the October 7 Hamas attack, announced he was joining Yisrael Beytenu. Ben-Shitrit, a co-founder of the "October Council" and former Likud mayor of Beit She'an, has been actively campaigning for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 failures.

Recently, Lieberman has also announced the recruitment of other candidates to the party, including several IDF reserve officers.