Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu unveils Knesset slate, with bereaved father and former mayor at No. 2

Yisrael Beytenu, Avigdor Liberman’s hawkish opposition party, presents its slate of candidates in next month’s election at an event attended by more than 1,000 people in Tel Aviv.

Liberman leads the 25-member slate, followed by former Beit Shean mayor and ex-Likud party member Rafi Ben Shitrit. Ben Shitrit’s son Shimon Alroy was killed fighting at the Nahal Oz military outpost during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught.

Col. (res.) Talia Lankri, a former deputy head of the National Security Council, is placed third, followed by incumbent party lawmakers Oded Forer and Yulia Malinovsky.

In sixth place is Sharon Sharabi, the brother of released Hamas hostage Eli Sharabi and Yossi Sharabi, who was murdered in Hamas captivity.

MKs Hamad Amar, a Druze lawmaker, and Evgeny Sova take the seventh and eighth spots, followed by Lod Deputy Mayor Elvira Kolikhman.

Former Likud MK and vocal critic of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s ruling party Dan Illouz takes 10th place on the slate.

Others on the slate include Lili Ben Ami, whose sister Michal Sela was murdered in 2019 and who has since worked to combat violence against women; Metula Mayor David Azoulai; Capt. (res.) Israel Ben-Shitrit, who was seriously wounded fighting in Khan Younis; and former MKs Limor Magen Telem and Sharon Roffe Ofir.

Polls project that the party will win approximately 8 to 11 seats in the October 27 election.