Likud and Knesset member Tally Gottlieb reached an agreement allowing her to run in the 26th Knesset elections with the Otzma Yehudit faction without being declared a defector from Likud. The dramatic arrangement was announced today in a joint statement by National Security Minister and Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben-Gvir alongside Gottlieb.
According to a Likud spokesperson’s statement released yesterday, Gottlieb will remain subject to Likud’s voting discipline in the Knesset until the October elections. The party’s statement concluded: “We wish Tally success.” Ben-Gvir warmly welcomed Gottlieb’s move, saying: “Welcome, Knesset member Tally Gottlieb. You’re joining a family of fighters—the Otzma Yehudit family.”
Ben-Gvir added that he sees Gottlieb as a “true fighter” working for justice and against what he called the “deep state” and the personal persecution of the prime minister. “We’re proud of you, embrace you, and are happy you’re coming,” the minister concluded. The move drew sharp criticism within Likud. MK Eliyahu Revivo harshly attacked Gottlieb, writing on social media: “And on this it is said, blessed be He who has relieved us.”
Revivo claimed he was the first to identify the “danger of Gottliebism” and that “the dagger came out of the bag” earlier than expected. He also took a jab at the Otzma Yehudit chairman, writing: “Good luck to Ben-Gvir, the popcorn is ready.” The move was made legally possible thanks to a principled opinion by Central Elections Committee chairman Judge Noam Solberg, who ruled that explicit consent from the original faction “greatly dilutes the nature of the resignation,” allowing a Knesset member to move to another list without requiring immediate resignation, as long as it’s done in coordination.
The dramatic move stems from a prolonged confrontation between Gottlieb and the prime minister and his inner circle. Gottlieb claimed in interviews and on social media that Netanyahu “simply doesn’t want her in Likud” and deliberately excludes her from campaigns and party activities. According to her, Netanyahu and his advisers tried to weaken her electorally and push her to the third tier through reserved slots, despite the broad support she received from party members—which would lead, she claimed, to her being investigated by the Shin Bet without immunity. Ben-Gvir predicts she will bring the party two seats—and promised her a ministerial position in the next government.