MK Dan Illouz stated that after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, a third of the Likud faction organized to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the attempt collapsed due to personal egos. Illouz resigned from the Likud party on Wednesday.
MK Dan Illouz, who resigned from the Likud party Wednesday evening, made a new claim overnight: that in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, a third of the Likud Knesset faction organized to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to a statement Illouz issued after his resignation, the effort collapsed due to personal egos. The claim goes beyond Illouz’s earlier criticism of the party’s direction and internal processes, which he detailed in his departure announcement.
Illouz’s resignation was reported by The Zioneer at 21:23 Jerusalem on Wednesday, along with his statement that he could not vote for his own party. Subsequent versions of the thread added that he accused Likud of “continuous surrender” to Haredi parties and confirmed he would not run in the upcoming party primaries. All of those statements were published at the same time, reflecting a coordinated departure. The new claim about an organized ouster attempt — which Illouz did not back with evidence — represents a further escalation in his public criticism, though it has not yet been corroborated by other sources.
Internal tension within Likud over the handling of party primaries and the direction of the party has been reported in recent weeks. As The Zioneer reported on July 8, Likud members expressed anger over the possibility of canceling the primaries, with one member stating they “laid down on the fence for Netanyahu after 7/10.” That background provides context for Illouz’s description of post-October 7 maneuvering within the faction.
Illouz has not provided any evidence for his claim that a third of the faction sought to oust Netanyahu, and no other news outlet or party source has confirmed the account. The claim remains unverified, and it is unclear whether Illouz intends to elaborate or name any of the faction members involved.
4 developments
- DevelopingLikud anger over possible primaries cancellation: 'We laid down on the fence for Netanyahu after 7/10'
- DevelopingLikud MKs report receiving calls from Netanyahu associates to drop out of primaries
- StrongMK Dan Illouz says he will not give Netanyahu the 61st seat for coalition
- DevelopingLikud director accused of harming Netanyahu as convention votes Thursday on three proposals
Source and signal
- Internal intake