From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Anti-LGBTQ Noam party recruits Oct. 7 bereaved father Eliyahu Libman, of Tikva Forum
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Far-right lawmaker Avi Maoz, the sole MK representing the anti-LGBTQ, misogynistic Noam party, announces that Eliyahu Libman — bereaved father and former head of the religious West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba — is joining the party ahead of the October 27 election.
Libman, who also previously served as the civilian security chief for Hebron’s Jewish community, lost his son, Elyakim Libman, 23, who was murdered by Hamas terrorists while working as a security guard at the Supernova music festival during the October 7, 2023, attack.
Together with Tzvika Mor, whose son Eitan was abducted from the festival and later released from Hamas captivity, Libman co-founded the Tikva Forum, a group of hostages’ families that — unlike the larger Hostage and Missing Families Forum — consistently opposed partial hostage release agreements involving the release of Palestinian security prisoners and temporary ceasefires in Gaza.
Mor has since joined Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party.
“All the people of Israel saw and were inspired by the strength of spirit of Eliyahu Libman and his family,” Maoz writes on X.
“Beyond being a man of action, over the past two years he has also emerged as a leader with remarkable spirit, and I congratulate him on joining as a pioneer in Noam’s new team,” he adds.
כל עם ישראל ראה והתפעל יחד איתנו מעוצמת רוחו של אליהו ליבמן ומשפחתו, שמעבר להיותו איש עשייה התגלה בשנתיים האחרונות כמנהיג אשר רוח בו ואני מברך אותו על הצטרפותו כחלוץ בנבחרת החדשה של נעם.
אליהו, ברוך הבא!@ElyahuLivman pic.twitter.com/C6FWszXDdc— אבי מעוז (@AVI_MAOZ) July 21, 2026
Maoz, an outspoken homophobe who has made misogynistic statements about women’s role in society and denigrated non-Orthodox streams of Judaism, ran in the 2022 election on a joint slate with Religious Zionism and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party.
It remains unclear whether the alliance will be renewed for the upcoming election.
The Times of Israel Community.