Parties / Opposition

Yisrael Beytenu ישראל ביתנו

MEF poll average, seats

6 to 9

range in window

seats now

Seats in every 2026 poll; line is a five-poll rolling mean; dotted line = threshold

Leader: Avigdor Liberman, Party chairman since founding; incumbent MK; former finance, defence and foreign minister. [source, 2026-08-25]
Bloc: Opposition
Founded: 1999, by Avigdor Liberman ahead of the 15th Knesset election (IDI, https://en.idi.org.il/israeli-elections-and-parties/parties/...).
Seats, 25th Knesset: 6
Status 2026: Running alone; slate to be unveiled Sunday 6 September 2026; recent polls around 10 seats (Times of Israel, https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/byachad-yisrael... 2026-09-02). Liberman on 2 September urged opposition leaders to merge with small parties before the deadline (JPost, https://www.jpost.com/israel-election-2026/article-907366).
List status: Filed with the CEC on 2026-09-07; 34 candidates as submitted to the Central Elections Committee; not yet certified (CEC approval of lists due 2026-09-27). Ballot name: ישראל ביתנו בראשות אביגדור ליברמן.
MEF poll average: 8; range 6 to 9 across 15 polls in the window

Background

Founded in 1999 with a base among immigrants from the former Soviet Union, the party peaked at 15 seats in 2009 and ran jointly with Likud in 2013 (IDI). Liberman resigned as defence minister in November 2018 over a Gaza ceasefire, then refused to join Netanyahu governments over Haredi conscription, contributing to the 2019 to 2022 election cycle (JPost, 2026-08-25). He served as finance minister in the 2021 to 2022 Bennett-Lapid government. In September 2025 he published 'basic lines' for the 38th government and joined the opposition leaders' permanent forum (party site; Times of Israel). He launched the 2026 campaign on 6 May 2026 calling for a 'decisive outcome' against Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas (JPost, https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/art...).

Knesset list

Order and Hebrew names as filed with the Central Elections Committee (CEC list page, 2026-09-07). 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.

Avigdor Lieberman ליברמן אביגדור [source, 2026-09-07]
Rafael Ben Shitrit † בן שטרית רפאל [source, 2026-09-07]
Talya Lankri לנקרי טליה [source, 2026-09-07]
Oded Forer פורר עודד [source, 2026-09-07]
Yulia Malinovsky מלינובסקי קונין יוליה [source, 2026-09-07]
Sharon Sharabi שרעבי שרון [source, 2026-09-07]
Hamad Amar עמאר חמד [source, 2026-09-07]
Evgeny Sova סובה יבגני [source, 2026-09-07]
Elvira Kolihman קוליחמן אלוירה [source, 2026-09-07]
Dan Illouz אילוז דן אליהו יעקב [source, 2026-09-07]
Lily Ben Ami בן עמי לילי [source, 2026-09-07]
Yael Benvenisti בנבנישתי יעל [source, 2026-09-07]
David Azulai אזולאי דוד [source, 2026-09-07]
Limor Magen Telem מגן תלם לימור [source, 2026-09-07]
Israel Ben Shitrit בן שיטרית ישראל יאיר [source, 2026-09-07]
Sharon Roffe Ofir רופא אופיר שרון אסתר [source, 2026-09-07]
Mor Dekel דקל מור [source, 2026-09-07]
Michaela Levin-Shamir לוין שמיר מיכאלה אנה [source, 2026-09-07]
Olivier Rafowicz רפוביץ אוליביה [source, 2026-09-07]
Yaakov Moses מוזס יעקב [source, 2026-09-07]
Ami Kor † קור עמנואל עמי [source, 2026-09-07]
Maya Plumbaum Katz † פלומבוים כץ מאיה [source, 2026-09-07]
Eddie Mordukhaev † מורדוכייב אדוארד אדי [source, 2026-09-07]
Michal Oron-Ezni † אורון-עזני מיכל [source, 2026-09-07]
Stav Boyango Matza † בויאנגו מצא סתו [source, 2026-09-07]
Asaf Bizberg † ביזברג אסף [source, 2026-09-07]
Steven Yaakov Rubin † רובין סטיבן יעקב [source, 2026-09-07]
Shuli Shamir Kinan † שמיר קינן שולי שולמית [source, 2026-09-07]
Mirit Shaked Barak † שקד ברק מירית [source, 2026-09-07]
Billy Rubin † רובין בילי [source, 2026-09-07]
Omer Ben-Tal † בן-טל עומר [source, 2026-09-07]
Moshe Bek † בק משה [source, 2026-09-07]
Baruch Eskerov † אסקרוב ברוך [source, 2026-09-07]
Alexander Gadalkin † גדלקין אלכסנדר [source, 2026-09-07]

Platform and positions

security	Party platform, six security principles: 'zero containment, every border violation by one millimetre counts as an invasion'; pre-emptive strikes; move fighting and a security belt into enemy territory; 'the era of the draw is over, every confrontation must end in a clear decision'; no build-up of the asymmetric enemy; maintain 45 days of munitions at all times. [source, 2026-07-31]
Iran	Liberman at the campaign launch: 'The top priority must be defeating Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas'; 'We need to achieve a decisive outcome, no matter how long it takes.' Leader statement. [source, 2026-05-06]
Gaza	Party basic lines: 'Maintain IDF freedom of action. End Israeli responsibility for the Strip: closing crossings and cutting off water, electricity and fuel supply. Transfer responsibility to an agreed international body', with Egypt and Gulf states central; a separate party paper proposes Egyptian responsibility under an Arab League mandate. [source, 2026-07-31]
Haredi draft	Party basic lines: 'Conscription law for all: mandatory service for every Israeli citizen at 18, without distinction of religion or origin', military or civilian track; evasion means loss of benefits, housing and municipal discounts and public employment; deserters face criminal record, travel ban and loss of the vote. Liberman rules out a coalition with Shas and UTJ. [source, 2026-07-31]
judiciary	Party basic lines: a constitution for Israel based on the Reichman, Friedmann and Nissim outline, entrenching rights, separation of powers and Basic Laws, with a term limit for the prime minister and fewer ministers. First government decision: a state commission of inquiry into 7 October with a mandate over the political, military and intelligence echelons. [source, 2026-07-31]
economy	Party basic lines: 'package deal' of deregulation, fewer ministries and a smaller public sector, breaking up monopolies and increasing competition to raise disposable income. [source, 2026-07-31]
religion-state	Party basic lines: one chief rabbi, one city rabbi per locality, abolition of religious councils, public transport on Shabbat by local authority decision, adoption of the Nissim conversion report, civil marriage and divorce for those who choose it. [source, 2026-07-31]
Arab citizens	Liberman rejects joining a coalition with Arab parties, calling such a move anti-Zionist (JPost, 2026-08-25). Party basic lines on personal security: a national headquarters against organised crime and protection rackets, three dedicated serious-crime courts in the north, south and Lod, administrative detention for crime bosses and use of spyware. Judea and Samaria: security and economic stabilisation in cooperation with Jordan. [source, 2026-08-25]

Recent moves

2026-08-05: MK Dan Illouz leaves Likud, joins Yisrael Beytenu and endorses Liberman for prime minister, saying Likud became 'a subcontractor' for Deri and Goldknopf. [source, 2026-08-05]
2026-08-11: Illouz resigns from the Knesset; Likud's Shabtai Katash takes the seat. [source, 2026-08-11]
2026-08-21: Liberman op-ed: the 'serving bloc' must take 5 to 6 seats from the 'evaders bloc' rather than fight internally. [source, 2026-08-21]
2026-08-23: Ra'anana council member Inbar Samovsky joins the list; Liberman calls on opposition parties to win seats from the coalition bloc rather than from each other. [source, 2026-08-23]
2026-09-02: Liberman urges opposition leaders to merge with small parties polling under the threshold before the filing deadline. [source, 2026-09-02]
2026-09-02: Party sets slate unveiling for Sunday 6 September; polls around 10 seats. [source, 2026-09-02]
2026-09-07: Candidate list filed with the Central Elections Committee (34 names) [source, 2026-09-07]

What MEF has published

The October 7 Election: Israel Goes to the Polls Jonathan Spyer, 2026-06-02
Israeli Politicians Must Confront Core Issues Before Forthcoming Elections Colin M. Winston, 2026-04-27

Not verified

Current faction size: 6 (IDI/Wikipedia) versus 'seven-seat delegation' (Times of Israel, 2026-09-02).
Party platform page carries a dateModified of 2026-07-31 and datePublished 2025-09-11; the 'basic lines' were first issued September 2025 for the '38th government'.
Slate ranks below Liberman pending 6 September.
MEF archive has no piece treating Yisrael Beytenu or Liberman as its subject since 2025.