Yisrael Beytenu unveiled its slate of candidates for the 26th Knesset on Sunday evening at an event held at Expo Tel Aviv, attended by more than 1,000 people.
The event was attended by party chairman MK Avigdor Liberman, members of Knesset, candidates, mayors, local government representatives and party activists from across the country.
Liberman heads the slate in first place. Rafi Ben Shitrit, the former mayor of Beit She’an and a former Likud member, was placed second. Ben Shitrit is the father of Elroi, who served in Combat Intelligence Collection Unit 414 and was killed in the battle at the Nahal Oz military post during the October 7 massacre. He is also one of the founders of the October Council.
Retired Col. Talia Lankri was placed third. Lankri previously served as deputy head of the National Security Council for counterterrorism policy, homeland security and civil defense, as well as head of the NSC’s Home Front Division. She currently works as a national security consultant and lecturer.
MKs Oded Forer and Yulia Malinovsky occupy the fourth and fifth positions.
Sixth place went to Sharon Sharabi, the brother of Yossi Sharabi, who was murdered while held hostage by Hamas, and of hostage survivor Eli Sharabi. Eli’s wife, Lianne, and their daughters, Noya and Yahel, were murdered during the October 7 massacre. Sharon Sharabi worked to secure the release of the hostages from the day of the massacre.
MKs Hamad Amar and Evgeny Sova are seventh and eighth on the slate, followed by Elvira Kolihman, deputy mayor of Lod, in ninth place. Former MK Dan Illouz rounds out the top 10.
Lili Ben Ami, an executive and entrepreneur specializing in personal security, innovation and education, was placed 11th. Her sister, Michal Sela, was murdered in 2019, and since then Ben Ami has devoted her work to developing solutions to prevent violence against women and strengthen domestic safety.
Dr. Yael Benvenisti, a gerontologist and expert in public policy, health and welfare, is in 12th place. She heads Israel Beiteinu’s senior citizens’ headquarters.
Metula Regional Council head David Azulai was placed 13th. A retired lieutenant colonel in the Combat Engineering Corps, Azulai has managed the community’s civilian front since the outbreak of the war, spending time in shelters and the municipal command center while working to maintain essential infrastructure.
Several noteable departures were announced as well. Attorney Batya Cohen Dror announced Sunday that she was leaving the party after approximately five years of involvement. At the same time, Ynet reported that Givat Shmuel Mayor Yossi Brodny will not be included on the party’s Knesset slate.
Both Dror and Brodny are associated with the Religious Zionist community. Brodny had also been appointed to head the Religious Zionist headquarters within the party but according to the report, he will not be part of the party’s slate in the upcoming election. Dror did not provide specific reasons for her resignation, but said she intended to continue her public and political activities.
“Today I am concluding a significant period of activity within Yisrael Beytenu, and I look ahead to the next challenges," she said. "I will continue on a mission that has accompanied me throughout my life: the struggle for the character of the State of Israel as a Jewish, democratic and liberal state, with more Jewishness and less coercion. I plan to continue working on religion and state issues and bring my experience in the field to the public and political arena."