Overview
- On Sunday Edelstein announced he will not run in the Likud primaries and said he will leave the party at the end of the current Knesset session to start a new political path.
- He framed the move as a response to deals that preserve haredi draft exemptions and noted that he was removed from the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee over his refusal to advance the draft bill.
- Edelstein published a platform calling for settlement expansion, an 'iron-wall' security doctrine, a free-market economy, judicial reform, and measures to strengthen Jewish identity.
- Israeli outlets report that a new party called Leyamin Zion has been registered and that founders have held recruitment talks with figures such as Ayelet Shaked and others, but the registration details, leadership slate and electoral plans remain unconfirmed.
- If formally launched, Edelstein’s project could offer right-wing voters an alternative to Likud’s dependence on haredi partners and change coalition math, though its impact will depend on the final candidate list and voter support.