There are 10 members of the new Likud list in realistic spots who were not part of the previous Knesset, not including the three spots reserved for party leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal picks. The following is a snapshot of the top five that could be MKs after the November election.
Who are the new Likud members with a chance of entering the Knesset?
Danny Danon:
The highest on the list is former Likud MK and UN ambassador Danny Danon, who occupies the 15th spot. Danon served as a Likud MK from 2009-2015 and in a number of ministerial roles, including Science, Technology and Space minister; Deputy Defense minister; and head of the Knesset’s Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee. He was Israel’s ambassador to the UN from 2015-2020.
Eliyahu Revivo:
The next newcomer at No. 19 on the list, representing the Shfela region, is Eliyahu Revivo, older brother of Lod Mayor Yair Revivo. Currently a senior VP in an entrepreneurial company, Revivo is a religious Zionist, who once worked for former Likud stalwart, MK and minister David Levy. He only announced his candidacy on August 1, with a campaign that includes three platforms: strengthening “sovereignty,” i.e., public security; strengthening Jewish identity; and advancing small businesses by cutting bureaucracy. Revivo beat Netanyahu’s former chief of staff and a suspect in the “Submarine Affair,” David Sharren.
Nissim Vaturi:
No. 21 on the list is Nissim Vaturi, representative of the Galilee region. Originally from Rishon Lezion, the 52-year-old father of seven previously served as a political adviser for Likud MK David Bitan. He was on the Likud list during all four of the previous elections in the current cycle: in the 37th spot in the April 2019 election, 40th in the September 2019 and March 2020 elections, and 37th in the March 2021 election. Vaturi served as an MK for a short period as a replacement for Gideon Sa’ar, who resigned from the Likud after the third election was announced in December 2020 in order to form his own party, New Hope.
Shalom Danino:
No. 22 is Negev region representative Shalom Danino, brother of Ofakim mayor Yizhak Danino. He overcame the deputy mayor of Beersheba, Shimon Boker, and Lior Katzav, brother of disgraced former president Moshe Katzav. His biography on Facebook describes him as an “entrepreneur in economics and business,” and as the owner of the Dorot old-age home.
Tally Gotliv:
No. 25 on the list is lawyer Tally Gotliv, winner of the spot reserved for a woman who had never served as an MK, deputy minister or minister. Gotliv is a criminal lawyer who has represented high-profile sexual offenders, including Katzav and businessman Alon Kastiel. In 2017, Gotliv famously said that Katzav, who was convicted of rape, only “had romances,” and regarding Kastiel, that women “want to date him, they go up to his home and then blame him for rape. I see him instinctively as a victim.” She has been accused of blaming rape victims for their predicament. Gotliv had not been a member of the Likud for the required three years, but was granted special permission to run by Netanyahu.