New Likudniks ( he, הליכודניקים החדשים "New
Likudniks") is an Israeli
Likud
Likud ( he, הַלִּיכּוּד, HaLikud, The Consolidation), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major centre-right to right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon ...
party faction, established in 2011 by leaders of the
social justice protests.
The declared aim of the group is to invite a large number of people who believe in their values and values as described in the Likud Constitution, and to enlist them in support of Knesset candidates who express positions consistent with the agenda they wish to promote: to push middle-class interests from within Likud.
It takes no position on the
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is one of the world's most enduring conflicts, beginning in the mid-20th century. Various attempts have been made to resolve the conflict as part of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, alongside other ef ...
.
The group began to surge in late 2016, going from about 3,000 members to more than 12,000 at 2019 Likud primaries, among a total of 100,000 Likud members.
The faction tried to promote its six candidates to the
April 2019 Israeli legislative election
April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. It is the first of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the second of five months to have a length of less than 31 days.
April is commonly associated with ...
Likud's list. However, in a controversial move, most of them were expelled from Likud.
The only New Likud's candidate that is on the list is Nir Hirschman. However, the faction made a deal with other Likud members to build a new "recommendation list" for the primaries.
Criticism
Many "old" Likud members and journalists have questioned the right-wing credentials of the New Likudniks. They have accused New Likudniks of the group of being undercover leftists, who are seeking to compensate for their diminished status in Israeli politics.
Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...
said of them: "They're not Likudniks and they're not new. They're old
leftist
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
s."
References
External links
*{{Official website, https://www.newlikud.org/
Likud
2011 establishments in Israel
Political parties established in 2011