Likud,officially known as Likud –National Liberal Movement,is a major right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon in an alliance with several right-wing parties. Likud's landslide victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history,marking the first time the left had lost power. In addition,it was the first time in Israel that a right-wing party received the most votes. After ruling the country for most of the 1980s,the party lost the Knesset election in 1992. Likud's candidate Benjamin Netanyahu won the vote for prime minister in 1996 and was given the task of forming a government after the 1996 elections following Yitzak Rabin's assassination. Netanyahu's government fell apart after a vote of no confidence,which led to elections being called in 1999 and Likud losing power to the One Israel coalition led by Ehud Barak.
Tzachi Hanegbi is an Israeli politician and national security expert serving as Israel's National Security Advisor. A member of Likud,Hanegbi previously served as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,Minister of Regional Cooperation and Minister of Community Affairs.
Kadima was a centrist and liberal political party in Israel. It was established on 24 November 2005 by moderates from Likud largely following the implementation of Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan in August 2005,and was soon joined by like-minded Labor politicians.
Meir Sheetrit is an Israeli politician. He served as a member of the Knesset in two spells for Likud between 1981 and 1988,and again from 1992 until 2005,when he joined Kadima. He remained a Knesset member for Kadima until joining Hatnuah in 2012,for whom he served until 2015. He also held several ministerial posts,including being Minister of the Interior,Minister of Housing &Construction,Minister of Finance,Minister of Justice,Minister of Transportation and Minister of Education,Culture &Sport. He was also a candidate for President of Israel in 2014.
Majalli Wahabi is a Druze-Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Likud,Kadima and HaTnuah between 2003 and 2013. He briefly assumed the position of Acting President due to the President of Israel Mr. Moshe Katsav's leave of absence as well as due to Interim and Acting President of Israel Mrs. Dalia Itzik's diplomatic trips abroad that took place during 2007;making him the first non-jew and the first Druze to be Israel's acting head of state;although assuming it for a mere few short periods during that year.
Roni Bar-On is an Israeli politician and lawyer. He served as a member of the Knesset for Likud and Kadima between 2003 and 2011,and is also a former Minister of Finance.
Abraham Moshe "Avi" Dichter is an Israeli politician currently serving as the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. A former Minister of Internal Security and Shin Bet director,he resigned from the Knesset and left Kadima in August 2012 in order to become Minister of Home Front Defense,a position he vacated in March 2013.
Dan Meridor is an Israeli politician and minister. A longtime member of the Likud party,in the late 1990s he became one of the founders of the Center Party. He rejoined Likud a decade later,and returned to the Knesset following the 2009 elections. Meridor served at various times as Deputy Prime Minister,Minister of Finance,Minister of Justice and Minister of Intelligence and Atomic Energy in the Israeli Cabinet. In 2014,Meridor succeeded Avi Primor as president of the Israel Council on Foreign Relations,an institute of international affairs which operates under the auspices of the World Jewish Congress.
Danny Danon is an Israeli politician and diplomat. A member of the Likud party,he served in the Knesset from 2009 to 2015 and from 2022 to 2024. From 2015 to 2020,Danon served as Israel's 17th Permanent Representative to the United Nations,and was reappointed to the role in 2024. The former leader of the world Betar organization,Danon was elected Chairman of the World Likud. Considered a 'right-wing thorn in Netanyahu's side," Danon challenged Benjamin Netanyahu for the party's leadership in 2007 and 2014.
Ze'ev Elkin is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a Member of the Knesset for the New Hope Party. He was previously a member of the Knesset for Kadima,Likud and the National Unity Party and served as Minister of Jerusalem Affairs,Minister of Housing and Construction,Minister of Immigrant Absorption,Minister of Environmental Protection,Minister of Higher Education and Minister of Water Resources.
An election for the leadership of Kadima was held on 17 September 2008 as a concession to Kadima's coalition partner,Labor,which had threatened to bring down the government if Prime Minister Ehud Olmert didn't stand aside following police investigations into alleged corruption during his terms as minister and as mayor of Jerusalem.
Legislative elections were held in Israel on 10 February 2009 to elect the 120 members of the eighteenth Knesset. These elections became necessary due to the resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as leader of the Kadima party,and the failure of his successor,Tzipi Livni,to form a coalition government. Had Olmert remained in office or had Livni formed a coalition government,the elections would have been scheduled for 2010 instead.
Nir Barkat is an Israeli businessman and politician currently serving as Minister of Economy. He served as mayor of Jerusalem between the years 2008–2018.
Early legislative elections were held in Israel on 22 January 2013 to elect the 120 members of the nineteenth Knesset. Public debate over the Tal Law had nearly led to early elections in 2012,but they were aborted at the last moment after Kadima briefly joined the government. The elections were later called in early October 2012 after failure to agree on the budget for the 2013 fiscal year.
Ahmed Dabbah is an Israeli Arab politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Kadima between 2012 and 2013,the party's first non-Druze Arab MK. He also served as mayor of Deir al-Asad and the now-dissolved city of Shaghur.
Polls may not add up to 120 seats due to rounding or omitted parties that dropped out or did not poll consistently.
Roy Folkman is an Israeli politician. He served as a member of the Knesset for Kulanu between 2015 and 2019.
Ofer Berkovitch is the founder and chairman of Jerusalem's Hitorerut in Jerusalem political movement,a member of the Jerusalem city council,and Hitorerut's 2018 candidate for Mayor of Jerusalem. Previously,Berkovitch served as Jerusalem's Deputy Mayor and has held municipal portfolios for culture,economic development,and the city center among others.
A leadership election was held by the Likud party on 15 August 2007. Incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu defeated challengers Moshe Feiglin and Danny Danon by a large majority.
A leadership election was held by the Likud party on 19 December 2005. former prime minister and party leader Benjamin Netanyahu defeated Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom,as well as candidates Moshe Feiglin and Israel Katz.
