Who they are

• Founded Sept 13, 1973 by Begin and Sharon; won power in 1977 with 43 seats. (IDI party page)
• Netanyahu has led it since 2005 (and 1993–99). The Aug 17, 2026 primary put Eli Cohen first; Netanyahu used reserved slots to move hardliners down. (Times of Israel, Aug 18, 2026)
• No written 2026 platform; Likud “does not participate in questionnaires.” (Ynet, Sep 30, 2026)

Who votes for them

• 2022: 1,115,336 votes, 23.41%, 32 seats. (Wikipedia / IDI)
• Its 2022 voters were 57% traditional, 32% secular, 10% national-religious, 1% Haredi. It won 46.5% of traditional voters and 20% of secular voters. (IDI, Jun 28, 2026)
• Strong in periphery cities: Beersheba 42%, Eilat 42%, Ashkelon 40% in 2021. (Times of Israel, Mar 23, 2021)
• First-time voters (18–22): 14%, behind Yashar's 16%. (N12/Midgam via JPost, Sep 23, 2026)

Where they stand

Haredi draft

Netanyahu revived the Haredi exemption bill as the coalition fell apart; Likud's Sharren Haskel vowed to fight it. (Times of Israel, May 17, 2026)

Courts

Levin: “We'll wait for the next term, when two-thirds of the Supreme Court justices' seats become vacant.” Professional members lose their veto under the new judge-selection law. (JTA, Sep 18, 2026)

War & Gaza

Rejected Trump's 15-point plan; no withdrawal “until Hamas is genuinely disarmed.” (Al Jazeera, Aug 9, 2026)

West Bank

“As long as I am prime minister, no Palestinian state will arise.” (In July 2025 all Likud ministers urged applying sovereignty.) (Al Jazeera, Aug 9, 2026; Ynet, Jul 2, 2025)

Religion & state

No 2026 position found

Economy

No 2026 position found

Names on the list

• No. 2Eli Cohen, won the primary
• No. 9Talik Gvili, mother of Ran Gvili, the last hostage returned
• No. 11Yaakov Bardugo, Channel 14 commentator

JPost and i24, Sep 8, 2026

Coalition pledges

• “A strong right-wing government led by me.” (JPost, Sep 8, 2026)
• Petitioned to bar the Joint List; Likud, Shas and UTJ representatives voted to bar the Joint List and Ra'am. (Times of Israel, Sep 23, 2026)

In their words

“There is no straight. Yashar is a bluff. There's either left or right… Do you want a Palestinian state? (or) do you want a Jewish state?”

Seats in each poll

Average 21.33 across 6 polls (Channel 14 not included).

Bios

Benjamin Netanyahu. Born 1949 in Tel Aviv. Prime minister 1996–99, 2009–21 and since 2022, the longest-serving in Israel's history. The first sitting prime minister charged with a crime; his trial began May 24, 2020, and he requested a pardon in November 2025.

Bio source: Wikipedia, accessed Oct 2026, via the research memo and party registers.