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Sunday, September 6, 2026
Reshuffling Knesset slate, Ben Gvir promotes MKs Son Har-Melech, Kroizer; Fogel bows out
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.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announces that MK Limor Son Har-Melech will take the fifth spot on his far-right Otzma Yehudit party’s electoral slate, followed by MK Yitzhak Kroizer.
The announcement prompts MK Zvika Fogel to announce that he will not run with the party in the October 27 election.
The announcement comes two days before the deadline for parties to submit their final slates of candidates, as factions across the spectrum announce additions and reshufflings of their rosters.
Fogel, who chairs the Knesset National Security Committee, announces his departure after it became clear he would be pushed down from his previous position as the party’s fifth-ranked candidate to at least seventh place. The party is projected to win seven to nine seats, according to polls.
Fogel says he will continue working on behalf of the country “in any way that is available to me,” but does not specify whether he intends to join another party, run for the Knesset through another framework or leave electoral politics altogether.
Ben Gvir’s announcement marks a slight promotion for Son Har-Melech and Kroizer, who were respectively the party’s sixth- and seventh-ranked candidates in the 2022 election. It also reflects their growing prominence within the party, particularly in the case of Son Har-Melech, who has emerged as one of Otzma Yehudit’s highest-profile lawmakers and sponsored a series of controversial legislative initiatives, including the law introducing the death penalty for terrorists, a priority of Ben Gvir’s that passed in March.
Like most parties, Otzma Yehudit does not hold primaries, with Ben Gvir selecting the candidates and determining their placement on the party slate. He will again head the slate, followed by Likud MK Tally Gotliv, whose tumultuous move to Otzma Yehudit was announced last week; Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf; and Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu.
The Times of Israel Community.