Liberman unveils Yisrael Beytenu's election list with Rafi Ben Shitrit second, Sharon Sharabi sixth

MK Avidgor Liberman, chairman of Yisrael Beytenu, announced on Sunday his selection of candidates for his party's Knesset slate ahead of Tuesday's deadline to submit lists before the October elections.

In the second and third spots, the party will field new faces, including former mayor of Beit Shean Rafi Ben Shitrit and Co. (res.) Talya Lankri.  The fourth and fifth spots were given to MKs Oded Forer and Yulia Malinovsky, while the sixth spot was given to Sharon Sharabi, brother of former Hamas hostage Eli Sharabi.

One of Sharabi’s brothers, Yossi, was murdered in Hamas captivity. His other brother, Eli, survived captivity after being held hostage for 491 days, during which he endured conditions of torture and starvation. Eli's wife and two daughters were murdered on October 7 during the Hamas massacre.

Spots seven and eight were given to current Yisrael Beytenu MKs Hamad Amar and Evgeny Sova; the ninth spot was given to deputy mayor of Lod Elvira Kolihman, and MK Dan Illouz, who formerly entered the 25th Knesset as a Likud member, received the tenth spot.

List with 25 candidates, party polling ten seats

The complete list included 25 candidates, while the latest polling results gave the party 10 mandates.

"The State of Israel cannot become a federation of religious and ethnic minorities, in which each group only cares for itself, and each party only cares for its base," Liberman said in his speech.

"We need to win a clear and decisive victory, which will allow us to establish a Zionist, nationalist, and liberal government, which will prioritize the people who serve in the IDF, are in the reserves, work, and pay taxes. This government will consist only of Zionist parties," he added.

Hawkish on security, more decisive stance on enemies

The party, a core part of the opposition bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is traditionally hawkish on security, calling for a more decisive stance to fully eliminate Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Iranian regime.

In addition, the party advocates for expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank, while also strongly supporting the separation of religion and state.

Liberman, a fierce critic of Netanyahu’s current government, has been open about his aim of becoming prime minister.

He has taken a hardline on haredi conscription, calling for legislation to ensure there will be no exemptions, and for those who do dodge service to be prevented from receiving any financial aid from the state.