As part of the preparations for the 2026 elections and the deadline for submitting candidate lists to the Central Elections Committee, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced three new reserved spots on the Likud party list. The move follows internal pressures and a demand by the party's tribunal to disclose the names. Among those reserved is Elisha Madan, a reservist who was critically wounded during operational activity in Beit Hanoun. Madan, one of the founders of the community of Abigail and the son of Rabbi Yaakov Madan, a former torch-lighter, was placed 11th on the list.
The Likud party noted in its statement that his recovery process has become a symbol of strength and determination. Talik Guili, mother of Staff Sgt. Rani Guili, who fell in battle and whose body was recovered during a military operation, was reserved the ninth spot. Guili, also a former torch-lighter, was described by the party as someone who transformed her personal story into public service. The third reserved spot is Adv. David Peter, a researcher at the Kohelet Policy Forum, who is identified with right-wing positions.
Peter has gained litigation experience and has represented the government and Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in various petitions before the High Court of Justice. The party emphasized his legal education and his work on fundamental questions of governance and democracy. The process of selecting these candidates was accompanied by political tension, as the Likud tribunal issued an ultimatum to Netanyahu to release the names, threatening a secret ballot in the party secretariat.
The secretariat meeting to approve the list was delayed from the morning to the afternoon to allow members to review them. Concurrently, it was reported that hi-tech entrepreneur Oren Dobronsky, who had been offered a spot in the top ten, decided not to run for the Knesset and will instead serve as a professional minister for artificial intelligence, should a government be formed. Underpinning these events is the party's political fear of voter leakage or instability in the event of a tie between the blocs.
The current reserved spots follow a period of pressure from senior ministers and Netanyahu's inner circle to appoint figures clearly identified with the right wing, aiming to prevent candidates from defecting to the opposing bloc after the elections. The reports were based on Likud party statements and publications by the ynet website.