Likud

Smotrich enters joint ticket talks with former Likud MK Feiglin as Likud slams Ben-Gvir

Simultaneously, tensions grew between National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and the Likud party after he announced that Otzma Yehudit would not run together with the Religious Zionist Party.

(L-R): National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich seen in the Knesset plenum, December 29, 2022
The search for the remains of the Altalena, published August 24, 2026.

From lost ship to new battleground: Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir using Altalena in election spat - analysis

The launch of the new Amcha Yisrael party, led by Ofer Winter, ahead of the upcoming Israeli general elections, in Jerusalem, August 25, 2026.

Winter's claimed support for Netanyahu overshadows his campaign, may siphon Likud voters - analysis

MK Yuli Edelstein speaks during a conference at the Reichman University in Herzliya, on January 13, 2026.

Gilad Erdan confirms talks with Benny Gantz on possible election alliance


'We lost 10 seats': Netanyahu struggles to find campaign strategy as Likud slips in polls - report

The conversations held by the prime minister indicated that he is skeptical of polls that show favorable results for him and believes that the situation is worse than those surveys suggest.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu casts his ballot at his party Likud's main polling station during primary elections ahead of Israel's general election in October in Jerusalem on August 17, 2026; illustrative

Minister Gamliel files police complaint over Likud primary recount in Be'er Ya'akov

The Likud announced on Tuesday that it would conduct a recount of the ballot boxes from Be’er Ya’akov after Gamliel appealed to the party’s Supreme Court.

Gila Gamliel, Innovation, Science and Technology Minister, casts her vote at a polling station during the Likud party’s internal elections in Jerusalem, July 27, 2026.

Netanyahu weighs rotation gov't with Eisenkot amid fears of not securing majority bloc in Knesset

Against this backdrop, the possibility of Netanyahu taking over the presidency after Herzog's term ends is being discussed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a vote at the plenum hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on July 16, 2026.

Netanyahu appoints sole Russian-speaking Likud candidate Elkin to lead party's immigrant outreach

The appointment adds weight to the possibility that a decision guaranteeing that outcome will soon follow, moving Elkin into a realistic position on the Likud list.

Minister Ze’ev Elkin attends a Likud party conference ahead of the party’s primary elections in the northern city of Haifa, August 16, 2026.

Likud petitions election committee to penalize Yair Golan over alleged 'electioneering'

In the video, Golan states that Zvi Sukkot’s illegal destruction of a Palestinian monument in the West Bank “did not happen in a vacuum,” stating it was the “spirit of Netanyahu” that enabled him.

The Democrats Party leader Yair Golan appears in a social media video on August 25, 2026, condemning MK Zvi Sukkot, who admitted to smashing a monument in a Palestinian West Bank town earlier that day.

Ben-Gvir took one of Likud's strongest symbols and turned it against Netanyahu - opinion

The Davidka cannon did not cause much damage, its range was short, and the destruction it caused was limited, but it made an enormous noise. Today's Davidka is named Itamar Ben-Gvir.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir holds a press conference at the Etzel Museum in Tel Aviv, following the announcement that the wreck of the Altalena had been located intact at a depth of 503 meters off Israel’s coast. August 24, 2026.

Eisenkot edges Netanyahu for PM suitability, Yashar bigger than Likud - poll

The bloc breakdown based on the results shows the coalition bloc with 50 seats, the opposition with 59 seats, and Arab parties with 11 seats.

Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yashar! party, speaks during the launch of a book in Herzliya, central Israel, April 26, 2026

Netanyahu warns against small right-wing parties, says they could hand election to 'fascist Left'

The prime minister's statement also came as Arab-Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad officially registered a new Right-wing party under the name "Brave Israel" on Monday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu casts his ballot at his party Likud's main polling station during primary elections ahead of Israel's general election in October in Jerusalem on August 17, 2026; illustrative

Developments of the last week that could affect the approaching elections - opinion

His goal was to put unattractive candidates out of realistic places on the list – or as low on the list as possible. In many cases Netanyahu was successful, or at least partially successful. 

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara arrive to cast their vote at a polling station in Jerusalem on August 17, 2026, as party members vote in the Likud primary elections to determine the party’s Knesset list ahead of the Israeli general elections.

Netanyahu won the Likud primary. Can Likud win beyond its base? - opinion

Likud is walking out of this primary further to the Right, unmistakably built around Netanyahu, security-minded to its core, still ready to sit with the ultra-Orthodox parties.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026.