According to The Zioneer, former justice minister Ayelet Shaked has decided not to run in the upcoming Knesset elections. She is expected to register as a member of the Likud party in order to begin accumulating seniority, though she understands that Prime Minister Netanyahu may not expedite it for her.
Ayelet Shaked has decided not to run in the next Knesset elections and is expected to register as a member of the Likud party, according to The Zioneer.
The decision marks a departure from earlier indications Sunday that Shaked was in advanced talks to join Benny Gantz's Blue and White list. At 11:56 Jerusalem time, The Zioneer reported that Shaked told political commentator Mati Tuchfeld she would make a final decision that day on joining Gantz. The new report at 20:07 reveals she has opted not to run at all and will instead seek to build seniority within Likud.
Shaked, a former justice minister and co-founder of the New Right with Naftali Bennett, has been a central figure in the realignment of the Israeli center-right. After her Zionist Spirit list failed to cross the electoral threshold in 2022, she remained politically active as a commentator. In recent months, she held negotiations with multiple factions, including Blue and White and Yisrael Beytenu, and stated she would only return to politics in a 'genuine right-wing party.' Her move to Likud aligns with that condition, though she acknowledges that Prime Minister Netanyahu may not expedite her path to seniority.
The development reshuffles the dynamics of the right-wing bloc ahead of the next elections, as Likud absorbs a prominent former opponent while other center-right figures continue to reassess their political futures.
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