The first ten Knesset candidates on the newly-formed Likud list include only one who supports a Palestinian state: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Environment Minister Tzachi HaNegbi, who received more votes than anyone else in the Likud yesterday and was awarded the third slot on the list after Sharon and Foreign Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, says that his victory is a "victory for my long-standing hawkish ideology - against a Palestinian state and in favor of a tough stand against Arab terrorism." Hanegbi is followed on the list by Finance Minister Silvan Shalom, Education Minister Limor Livnat, Minister Danny Naveh, MKs Yisrael Katz, Gideon Ezra, and Naomi Blumental, and Public Security Minister Uzi Landau.
Aside from Shalom, candidates associated with Ariel Sharon were relegated to lower spots than expected: Sha'ul Mofaz is #12, Ehud Olmert to the 33rd place, and Communications Minister Ruby Rivlin to #37. Other Sharon supporters - his son Omri and Yechiel Chazan of Ariel - won the Negev spot (27), and the Yesha spot (32), respectively. Moshe Feiglin of Jewish Leadership, who lost out to Chazan, received enough votes to gain him the non-realistic #41 spot. In terms of religious candidates, Feiglin is preceded in the list only by Dr. Leah Ness, who won spot #34.
The most surprising entry was that of Gila Gamliel, Chairperson of the Student Organization in Be'er Sheva, who was elected this past summer to head the National Student Union. She is #11 on the Likud list. Other new names include ex-Foreign Minister David Levy (17), Netanyahu's former secretary Ruhama Avraham (18), Daniel Ben-Lulu (20), Atty. Roni Bar-On (31), Peninah Rosenblum (39), and Avigdor Kahalani (43).
Aside from Shalom, candidates associated with Ariel Sharon were relegated to lower spots than expected: Sha'ul Mofaz is #12, Ehud Olmert to the 33rd place, and Communications Minister Ruby Rivlin to #37. Other Sharon supporters - his son Omri and Yechiel Chazan of Ariel - won the Negev spot (27), and the Yesha spot (32), respectively. Moshe Feiglin of Jewish Leadership, who lost out to Chazan, received enough votes to gain him the non-realistic #41 spot. In terms of religious candidates, Feiglin is preceded in the list only by Dr. Leah Ness, who won spot #34.
The most surprising entry was that of Gila Gamliel, Chairperson of the Student Organization in Be'er Sheva, who was elected this past summer to head the National Student Union. She is #11 on the Likud list. Other new names include ex-Foreign Minister David Levy (17), Netanyahu's former secretary Ruhama Avraham (18), Daniel Ben-Lulu (20), Atty. Roni Bar-On (31), Peninah Rosenblum (39), and Avigdor Kahalani (43).