First appointment since the election

Netanyahu names Katz to lead Likud faction

Two days before the new Knesset is sworn in, the prime minister announces his first appointment for the incoming term

NOV 8, 2026 21:05

1 min read

Prime Minister Netanyahu at Likud headquarters, 2026 election night

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday that he has appointed MK Ofir Katz as chairman of the Likud faction in the 26th Knesset. The appointment is the party's first since the election and comes two days before the new Knesset is sworn in.

Katz will continue in the role he has held since 2022, when he was first named Likud faction chairman in the 25th Knesset. In the outgoing Knesset, he also served as coalition chairman and Knesset House Committee chairman, while sitting on the Finance Committee, the Constitution Committee, and the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Katz was first elected to the Knesset in the 21st term, placed on the Likud list as the representative of the Galilee and Valleys district. In the 23rd Knesset, Netanyahu gave him his first position, appointing him coalition coordinator on the Finance Committee. During the 24th Knesset, when Likud sat in opposition under the Bennett-Lapid government, Katz served on the Finance Committee.

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