Senior Likud sources say Prime Minister Netanyahu's push to cancel primaries and control the party list is driven not by fear of losing seats, but by a need to ensure no Likud MK would defect to an Eisenkot-led camp in the event of a 60-60 deadlock. The same motivation, they say, underlies preserving the alliance with the Haredi parties at all costs. Netanyahu is convinced no government will rely on Arab parties, according to the sources quoted by journalist Shalom Stein.
Senior Likud sources relayed a detailed internal rationale for Prime Minister Netanyahu's recent push to cancel party primaries and assume control of the Knesset list, according to a Saturday night report by journalist Shalom Stein. The sources describe the move as a defensive political calculation rather than a bid for personal power: Netanyahu fears that in a 60-60 Knesset deadlock, individual Likud MKs might defect to a potential unity government led by former IDF chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon (part of the 'Eisenkot camp' – referring to the broader center-left coalition siding with Gantz and Lapid). To prevent that, the Prime Minister is working to secure absolute loyalty within Likud and tighten the alliance with Haredi parties, the sources said.
Netanyahu, according to the sources, is convinced that no Israeli coalition will be formed that relies on Arab-majority parties, and therefore his strategy is to build a hermetically sealed right-wing bloc that cannot be breached by defections. The account adds a new layer to the ongoing Likud infighting over the party list, which has seen Netanyahu demand up to 10 reserved slots and threaten to leave the party if denied. The Zioneer has previously reported on these tensions (June 22-24), but this source-based explanation focuses on the strategic logic behind the demand.
The report is based on a single source – unnamed senior Likud officials speaking to Stein – and the details remain unconfirmed independently. The claim focuses on Netanyahu's internal party maneuvering rather than any new policy or event.
- StrongLikud primaries reportedly set to be canceled; Netanyahu to determine list
- DevelopingNetanyahu offers Likud MKs specific reserved list slots amid infighting
- StrongLikud infighting intensifies over Netanyahu's demand for 10 reserved slots
- DevelopingLikud members furious at Netanyahu amid warnings that canceled primaries would end the party
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
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