Middle East Forum Israel Election 2026
Parties / Unaligned

The Haredi Public (HaTzibur HaHaredi) הציבור החרדי

MEF poll average, seats
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Seats in every 2026 poll; line is a five-poll rolling mean; dotted line = threshold
Leader
Moti Leitner, Party chairman; ranked 1. The list's top four include two women, a first for a Haredi party (Ynet, 2026-09-08) [source, 2026-09-08]
Bloc
Unaligned
Founded
announced 2026-07-19 with an advertising campaign in Haredi cities; Knesset run and campaign launched 2026-08-23 in Beit Shemesh (JPost https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/art... Ynet https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hjmjaqdwzl)
Seats, 25th Knesset
0
Status 2026
sub-threshold in polls; running alone but in merger talks. Channel 12 poll of 2026-08-30 gave it 1.2 percent (1.5 percent in a Smotrich-Feiglin merger scenario), below the 3.25 percent threshold (Yeshiva World https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/2592108/; Bhol https://www.bhol.co.il/news/1737809). A party source said it is in talks with Ofer Winter's camp about joining forces (VINnews https://vinnews.com/2026/09/01/talks-underway-between-tzibur... 2026-09-01). Ben Gvir said he has no plans to add new small Haredi factions to his list (Matzav 2026-08-17).
List status
Filed with the CEC on 2026-09-08; 12 candidates as submitted to the Central Elections Committee; not yet certified (CEC approval of lists due 2026-09-27). Ballot name: הציבור החרדי בראשות מוטי ליטנר.
MEF poll average
(below threshold in most polls); range to across 0 polls in the window

Background

The party was announced on 2026-07-19 by Beit Shemesh deputy mayor Moti Leitner with billboard campaigns in Haredi cities, stating a goal of representing working Haredim who feel unrepresented by Shas and UTJ (JPost https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/art...). Leitner initially sought representation on the Shas or UTJ lists and support for Haredi enlistment (JPost https://www.jpost.com/israel-election-2026/article-905477, 2026-08-14). On 2026-08-23 it announced an independent Knesset run at a Beit Shemesh event under the slogan 'This time we take responsibility', promising a list of Ashkenazi, Sephardi and Hasidic candidates (Walla https://news.walla.co.il/item/3862641). Its first poll appearance on 2026-08-30 was 1.2 percent (Bhol). By 2026-09-01 it was in merger talks with Ofer Winter (VINnews).

Knesset list

Order and Hebrew names as filed with the Central Elections Committee (CEC list page, 2026-09-08). Lists are as submitted and not yet certified; the CEC is due to approve lists on 27 September 2026. Party of record in brackets for joint lists. † marks names whose English spelling is transliterated from the filing rather than taken from English-language press.

  1. Moti Leitner ליטנר פנחס מרדכי [source, 2026-09-08]
  2. Asher Freddy פרדי אשר [source, 2026-09-08]
  3. Nechumi Yaffe יפה מרים נחמה [source, 2026-09-08]
  4. Ziva Glantz גלאנץ זיוה רנית [source, 2026-09-08]
  5. Mordechai Rubinstein רובינשטיין מרדכי [source, 2026-09-08]
  6. Yitzchak Adlerstein אדלרשטיין יצחק [source, 2026-09-08]
  7. Aharon Ungar אונגאר אהרן [source, 2026-09-08]
  8. Yehuda Oppenheimer אופנהיימר יהודה [source, 2026-09-08]
  9. Chaim Yehuda Leib Gottlieb גוטליב חיים יהודה לייב [source, 2026-09-08]
  10. Yona Shlomo Kaufman קאופמן יונה שלמה [source, 2026-09-08]
  11. Eliyahu Goldberg גולדברג אליהו [source, 2026-09-08]
  12. Reuven Ohana אוחנה ראובן [source, 2026-09-08]

Platform and positions

otherThe party said its full platform and detailed proposals would be presented 'in the coming weeks' after the 2026-08-23 launch; none located as of 2026-09-03. Items below are launch statements. [source, 2026-08-23]
Haredi draftLeader statement. 'Those who genuinely study Torah will receive full and absolute protection. Those who are not studying will serve. We will not establish only a Haredi brigade; we will establish an entire Haredi division.' [source, 2026-08-24]
religion-stateCampaign focus: protecting the Torah world while introducing mathematics and English studies in Haredi schools (Talmudei Torah) and expanding employment. [source, 2026-08-23]
economyLeader statement. 'A father who wants to support his family with dignity must be able to do so'; the party names poverty in the Haredi sector as a core issue. [source, 2026-08-23]
otherLeader statement on rivals. 'A vote for United Torah Judaism or Shas is a vote for the extremists and bullies of the Jerusalem Faction'; Leitner said the existing leadership 'adopted detachment as policy'. [source, 2026-08-23]

Recent moves

What MEF has published

No MEF pieces matched in the archive since 2025.

Not verified

Sources