Prime Minister Netanyahu is delaying the completion of the merger between Likud and New Hope, according to Israel Hayom. The key obstacle is Section 59(3) of the Basic Law: The Knesset, which allows MKs from a merging faction to break away and form a new faction without being classified as 'defectors' under the law.
According to a report by Israel Hayom, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is stalling the finalization of the merger between the Likud party and Gideon Sa'ar's New Hope faction. The reported concern centers on Section 59(3) of Israel's Basic Law: The Knesset, which stipulates that when two factions merge, individual MKs from the absorbed faction can break away and form a new faction without being legally classified as defectors — thereby retaining their Knesset seats and party funding. The report suggests that this legal provision could allow a bloc of New Hope MKs to later exit the merged party and re-establish an independent faction, undermining the political stability the merger was intended to achieve. The timeframe for closing the merger remains unclear. The Zioneer has not independently confirmed the internal discussions. Separately, Likud attorney Ilan Bombach filed the party's response to a petition against the appointment of Judge Yitzhak Rabilo as State Comptroller, arguing that annulling a secret Knesset vote would be an unprecedented step and that the petitioners failed to establish grounds for a revote. That legal challenge is not directly connected to the merger delay.
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