Meet Otzma Yehudit's lineup: Who’s who in the 26th Knesset

Israel’s 26th Knesset is set to be sworn in on Tuesday, bringing 120 new and returning members of Knesset into the chamber after October’s election. It is a class that mixes political heavyweights with first-time parliamentarians: 47 of the incoming MKs have never served in the Knesset before, while 55 were not members of the outgoing parliament.

The incoming Knesset reflects an unusually broad cross-section of Israeli public life. Alongside longtime party leaders and former ministers, it includes business figures, religious educators, community activists, former security officials and newcomers from across the country’s political and social spectrum.

Thirty-three of the 120 MKs are women, and the class ranges from veteran politicians returning to the Knesset after years away to first-timers who won a seat on their first national run. Among the returnees is Eli Goldschmidt, who left the Knesset 25 years ago as a Labor MK and is now returning as a Likud representative.

Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud remains the largest single party, with 27 seats, followed by Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar with 21 and Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad with 12. The Joint List won 11 seats, while The Democrats and Ra’am each took eight; Yisrael Beiteinu, United Torah Judaism and Otzma Yehudit won seven apiece, and Shas and Religious Zionism six each.

The arithmetic leaves no bloc with a majority: Netanyahu’s right-religious bloc holds 53 seats, Eisenkot’s opposition bloc 48, and Arab-led parties the remaining 19, making the incoming Knesset one of the most fragmented in recent memory. Gadi Eisenkot was awarded the first mandate by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and now has just under a month to form a government out of the aforementioned parties.

With roots in Israel’s far-right activist movements, Otzma Yehudit, “Jewish Strength," adopted its current name ahead of the 2015 election. Under Itamar Ben-Gvir, it moved from unsuccessful electoral bids to parliamentary representation and cabinet seats, advocating expanded Israeli sovereignty and tougher security policies. In this installment of our Knesset profile series, we meet the people behind the party- their backgrounds, their priorities and their visions for Israel’s future.

Read more from i24NEWS’ profile series on the parties of the 26th Knesset >> Click here

Itamar Ben-Gvir — No. 1

Itamar Ben-Gvir trained as a lawyer at Ono Academic College and became known for defending far-right activists accused of terrorism and hate crimes. His own criminal record includes 2007 convictions for incitement to racism and supporting a terrorist organisation, relating to signs advocating the expulsion of Arabs and endorsing far-right politician Meir Kahane.

He worked as parliamentary aide to MK Michael Ben-Ari before entering the Knesset in 2021 through Otzma Yehudit’s alliance with Religious Zionism and Noam. He subsequently became national security minister, with responsibility for policing, prisons and civilian firearms licensing.

He has been formally sanctioned by the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Norway because of repeated incitement of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. He has been refused entry to several other European nations, including France, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia.

Born in Jerusalem in 1976 and raised in Mevaseret Zion, Ben-Gvir became religiously observant as a teenager and studied at the Jewish Idea Yeshiva founded by Kahane. He is married with six children and lives in Hebron.

Tally Gotliv — No. 2

Tally Gotliv built her career as a criminal-defence lawyer, practising from 2000 and representing defendants accused of sexual offences and murder. She interned in the Tel Aviv District prosecution’s criminal division and holds undergraduate and postgraduate law degrees from Bar-Ilan University.

She helped found the Shavim party in 2019, campaigning on parental equality and disability rights, but it failed to enter the Knesset. Elected to Likud in 2022, she served on committees covering defence, constitutional affairs, children’s rights, welfare and state oversight. After initially placing 19th on the Likud list for the 2026 election, and following very public verbal spats with Benjamin Netanyahu, she joined Otzma Yehudit.

Born in Bnei Brak in 1975, Gotliv grew up in a religious household before becoming secular. She is divorced with three children, including an autistic daughter, and lives in Givat Shmuel.

Yitzhak Wasserlauf — No. 3

Yitzhak Wasserlauf began in youth leadership, serving as a Bnei Akiva instructor in Jerusalem. He served in Golani Battalion 12 in a header program, allowing him to spit his service between active duty and torah study. He helped establish the Oz Ve’Emuna hesder yeshiva in southern Tel Aviv with Rabbi Ahiad Ettinger.

After unsuccessful election campaigns with Otzma Yehudit, Wasserlauf entered the Knesset in 2022 through its joint list with Religious Zionism. In December that year, he became minister for the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience, with a portfolio focused on communities in the periphery.

Born in Jerusalem’s Old City in 1992, Wasserlauf is married with three children and lives in northern Tel Aviv. He previously lived in southern Tel Aviv, where he campaigned against the presence of undocumented migrants.

Amichai Eliyahu — No. 4

Amichai Eliyahu built his career in religious education and community organising. He taught at the Hispin high-school yeshiva from 2009 to 2013, then founded the Orot Yehuda religious and social community in Migdal HaEmek. He also established the Association of Community Rabbis, bringing together hundreds of synagogue rabbis, and “One Command,” an organisation promoting the interests of religiously observant soldiers.

He was elected to the Knesset in 2022, serving as heritage minister since then.

Born in Safed in 1979, Eliyahu is married with six children and lives in Rimmonim in the West Bank. He served in the Paratroopers, fought in the Second Lebanon War as a reservist and studied at Ataret Nechemia Yeshiva in Tel Aviv. He is the grandson of Mordechai Eliyahu, the former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel.

Limor Son Har-Melech — No. 5

Limor Son Har-Melech worked in education, emotional therapy and parental guidance before entering national politics. Following the 2005 evacuation of Homesh in the West Bank, she co-founded a movement campaigning to rebuild the settlement.

Elected to the Knesset for Otzma Yehudit in 2022, she helped advance the repeal of the disengagement restrictions in the northern West Bank and has promoted legislation on sexual offences and the death penalty for terrorists.

Son Har-Melech previously lived in Homesh and now lives in Shavei Shomron. In 2003, Palestinian gunmen killed her first husband, Shalom “Shuli” Har-Melech, and seriously wounded her while she was pregnant; she gave birth in an emergency delivery following the attack.

Born in Jerusalem in 1979, she had two children with her first husband, and 8 with her second husband Yehuda, who she married 3 years after Shalom’s murder.

Yitzhak Kroizer — No. 6

Yitzhak Kroizer built his career in construction and development, owning S.Y. Kroizer, a company operating in northern Israel. He also managed Otzma Yehudit’s farmers’ headquarters before entering parliament.

Placed 15th on the joint Religious Zionism list in 2022, he entered the Knesset in January 2023 under the Norwegian Law after Amichai Eliyahu resigned his parliamentary seat. His legislative activity has included measures promoting food-industry competition and proposing reduced VAT on basic foods.

Kroizer is married with three children and lives in Moshav Natur in the southern Golan Heights. He served in an elite combat unit and is the son of Rabbi Yehuda Kroizer, head of the Jewish Idea Yeshiva, founded by Meir Kahane.

Hanamel Dorfman — No. 7

Hanamel Dorfman trained as a lawyer and began representing right-wing activists after qualifying, working alongside Itamar Ben-Gvir in legal proceedings and public campaigns. He subsequently became one of Ben-Gvir’s closest confidants and a central figure in Otzma Yehudit’s organisation.

After the 2022 election, Dorfman led Otzma Yehudit’s coalition negotiations to form the government. When Ben-Gvir became national security minister, Dorfman was appointed his chief of staff.

Born in 1995, Dorfman was active in the Hilltop Youth and lived in West Bank outposts during his youth. He is married to the daughter of right-wing activist Bentzi Gopstein.