Current sectionIsrael NewsIsrael Elections 2026Analysis With all due respect to the IDF soldiers killed in Lebanon, 36 politicians will compete next week for just 16 realistic spots in the Likud primaries. Meanwhile, two Likud stalwarts have launched a party without a name – but not without a reasonShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeAvi Bar-Eli01:27 PM • August 09 2026 IDT"We've never seen such a mess," a Likud activist said about the battle over the party's slate for the next Knesset, voicing frustration above all at the uncertainty created by its internal power struggles.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:LikudKnessetHaredim Israeli politicsIsraeli electionsBenjamin NetanyahuIsrael KatzCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesMossadLebanonWest BankNetanyahuDefense PactMichigan PrimaryElection PollsHaQuizHaaretz PodcastThe Israeli Bladesmith Who Elevated Kitchen Knife Forging to an Art Form'Lords of the Land': Soldiers Explain How Settlers Call the Shots in West BankPharma Giant Teva Seeks to Hide Israel Ties From Jury in Price-fixing TrialIsrael Elections for Dummies: How to Read the PollsIsrael Warns Citizens in Greece to Lie Low Ahead of pro-Palestinian ProtestsRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIIsrael's Leading Philosopher on Manipulation, Morality and the Future of ZionismHow Israel's Elbit Armed the United Arab EmiratesIsrael Captured 230 Square Miles of Lebanon, Razed Villages and Built New BasesHow a Teen, Not a Journalist, Debunked Israel's Gaza 'Voluntary Emigration' Plan'I Saw Pictures of Dead Kids. In the Army They Told Us We Only Kill Terrorists'Former Mossad Chief Appointed to Lead U.S. Defense Technology Company