Likud

Benjamin Netanyahu is its chairman, and it holds 32 of the 120 Knesset seats according to Wikipedia. It is named in the Israeli legislative election of 27 October 2026 as a contender for the most seats.

History

Likud was founded in 1973 under Menachem Begin, and its 1977 victory ended the left's long hold on power. Begin signed the Camp David Accords in 1978 and the peace treaty with Egypt in 1979. Yitzhak Shamir led it from 1983 and lost the 1992 election. Benjamin Netanyahu won the 1996 prime ministerial vote. Ariel Sharon won in 2001 and 2003, then left in 2005 to form Kadima over the Gaza disengagement. Netanyahu governed from 2009 to 2021, and returned after the 2022 election; Likud won the most seats in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Positions

Wikipedia describes Likud as a party of free-market economics, strong military policy and settlement in the West Bank. Its 1977 platform claimed Israeli sovereignty between the sea and the Jordan, and it has historically opposed a Palestinian state, though Netanyahu endorsed a demilitarised one in 2009 under conditions. It takes a hard line on Iran and Hezbollah and keeps close ties with US Republicans.

Summarised automatically from the linked sources. Wikipedia