Bismuth's businessmen, Danon's American donors: who finances the primaries in Likud?

The new candidates in the Likud primaries, who are not MKs, are allowed to raise donations to finance their election campaigns. Checking the reports on the State Comptroller's website shows that Boaz Bismut raised almost NIS 120,000 in two weeks, and Erez Tadmor, another candidate, raised more than NIS 170,000 in crowdfunding

His dew

09/08/2022

Tuesday, August 9, 2022, 07:54 Updated: 09:46

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Each contestant can reach a ceiling of NIS 330,000 from the moment the elections are announced.

Likud (Photo: Reuven Castro)

Former journalist Boaz Bismut, who is running in the Likud primaries, raised close to NIS 120,000 in donations within two weeks, according to the reports he submitted to the state comptroller's office.

Bismuth announced his candidacy at the end of July, and since then has raised donations totaling approximately NIS 117,000, from 14 donors, most of whom contributed between NIS 10-11,000.

Among the donors can be found Motti Sonnenfeld, an ultra-orthodox businessman and philanthropist who is considered close to Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu and also to Yamina Chairman Ayelet Shaked, with both of whom Bismuth has good relations.

Sharon Ibn Haim, an Israeli real estate man who lives in LA, and one of the founders of the IAC organization - the American Israeli community organization founded by the billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who founded the Israel Hayom newspaper - which Bismuth edited until last year, also contributed to the campaign.

Another media person close to Netanyahu who is running in the primaries is Erez Tadmor, who previously also served as an adviser to Netanyahu and in the Likud's recent campaigns.

The State Comptroller's website shows that Tadmor raised NIS 178,366,000 in three weeks, in a form of crowdfunding.

He reported on more than 600 donors, most of whom contributed small amounts of up to NIS 1,000.

Among Tadmor's major donors is Yonatan Greenwald, a businessman who previously contributed to the campaigns of Naftali Bennett and Gideon Sa'ar.

Moshe Feiglin, who is returning to Likud for renewed competition after trying to establish the Zehut party, has since the beginning of July raised NIS 101,459,000 from 84 donors.

Raised close to 120 thousand shekels.

Bismuth (Photo: Flash 90, Yonatan Zindel)

In the last year and a half, he did not collect donations.

Sharon (Photo: Reuven Castro)

Dozens of candidates run in the Likud primaries, but only the newcomers, those who are not members of the Knesset, are allowed to raise donations to finance the election campaign.

According to the primaries law enacted by MK Dodi Amsalem (Likud) in 2018, members of Knesset and ministers who run in primaries are entitled to funding from the state, and the amount is determined according to the number of party officials. In Likud, each serving Knesset member received a budget of approximately NIS 330,000 to finance a trip The elections. This is also the spending ceiling for the contestants who are not members of the Knesset, such as Bismuth, Tadmor and others, who can raise donations, contribute equity, or take loans from the state to finance the campaign. If they are elected to the Knesset, they will receive back the funds they spent. The candidates are required to report within 14 day for every donation they received, and the information is published on the State Comptroller's website, but Walla's check shows that many of the contestants have not yet submitted reports to the State Comptroller about donations or loans. Other new candidates reported amounts of only a few tens of thousands of shekels in donations and loans.

The one who did report to the State Comptroller about the donations he received was former ambassador and MK Danny Danon, who is running again for a place on the Likud list. Danon reported a personal donation of 330,000 shekels on July 20 - the amount of the expenditure ceiling allowed for candidates in the Likud primaries. However, the restrictions The expenses and donations of non-MK candidates apply only from the moment elections were announced and primaries were set, and not for donations or expenses from the period before that.

From the reports on the State Comptroller's website, it appears that in the past two years, since Danon returned to Israel from his mission as Israel's ambassador to the United Nations in the summer of 2020, he raised donations totaling approximately 125 thousand dollars, more than 400 thousand shekels - all from American donors. In 2020, he reported donations totaling $93,000 from 11 American donors, in 2021 he reported one donation of $10,000 from a Mexican donor, and in 2022 he reported raising $24,000 from six American donors. Among Danon's donors, you can find the name of Henry Orlinsky, an identified Jewish investor and philanthropist with ultra-Orthodox organizations, but most of the names are unknown.

Helped by a Jewish investor and philanthropist affiliated with ultra-orthodox organizations.

Danon (Photo: AP)

Enacted the primary law that grants MKs funding from the state. Amsalam (photo: official website, Dani Shem Tov, Knesset spokeswoman)

Gilad Sharon, who is contesting for the first time in the primaries for the Likud list, also raised a sum of about NIS 950,000 in donations even before the elections were announced, according to the reports to the State Comptroller.

Sharon joined the party for the first time in 2016 and tried to run in the previous primaries in 2019, but this period was not enough to run, and Likud Chairman Netanyahu refused to shorten the required certification period and he was disqualified from running.

Sharon's reports on the State Comptroller's website show that in the last year and a half , Sharon did not raise donations, and the last donation he reported was about a year and a half ago, in February 2021, in the amount of about NIS 500,000 from a person named Alon Gonen. In August 2020, he reported a donation of NIS 100,000 from businessman Ron Paskalovich. In total, since 2016 , Sharon reported donations totaling NIS 950,000, NIS 140,000 of which were in equity.

• 2022 election

Tags

• Likud

• Boaz Bismuth

• Gilad Sharon

• Danny Danon

• David Amsalam