Likud and MK Tally Gotliv have reached an agreement allowing her to run in the next Knesset election on the Otzma Yehudit party list without being labeled a defector, the party announced Thursday evening. Under the deal, Gotliv remains bound by Likud parliamentary discipline until the 26th Knesset.
MK Tally Gotliv (Likud) will run for the 26th Knesset on the Otzma Yehudit slate under an agreement announced by the Likud party Thursday evening. The deal stipulates that Gotliv will not be declared a defector and will remain bound by Likud's coalition discipline until the new parliament is seated.
The announcement came hours after a ruling by Central Elections Committee chair Justice Hanan Solberg earlier Thursday at 11:03 Jerusalem established that an MK may run on another party's list without being deemed a defector, provided the original faction gives written consent. That ruling removed a key legal hurdle for Gotliv's reported move. Around the same time, reports emerged that coalition chairman MK Ofir Katz criticized Gotliv over alleged threats against Prime Minister Netanyahu, though he wished her success.
The agreement follows weeks of signals from Gotliv about her dissatisfaction within Likud, as The Zioneer has reported. On Saturday, July 11, she said she would consider not running if the party did not hold primaries. On Sunday, July 12, she denied reports of a rift with Netanyahu, stating she was loyal to the party and the prime minister. Earlier this week, on Wednesday, journalist Shirit Avitan Cohen reported that Gotliv would be slotted fourth on the Otzma Yehudit list — a report that remains unconfirmed.
The date for the 26th Knesset election has not yet been set. Further details of the agreement between Likud and Gotliv have not been disclosed.
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