Prime Minister Netanyahu has abandoned the plan to cancel Likud primaries, according to a report by Israeli journalist Shachar Glik (KAN News). Under the emerging deal, Netanyahu would receive between 8 and 10 reserved slots on the party list. Likud MK David Bitan has not yet agreed to grant those slots, the report says.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has dropped the push to cancel Likud primaries, shifting instead to a compromise that would secure him 8–10 reserved slots on the party list, according to a KAN News report by journalist Shachar Glik. The report, published Monday at 13:01 Jerusalem, says Netanyahu calculated that backing down from outright cancellation would clear the path for the reserved slots. However, coalition chairman MK David Bitan has not yet agreed to grant them, the report adds.
The development follows weeks of internal Likud turbulence. As The Zioneer reported on June 16, Likud members voiced fury over the prospect of canceled primaries, with some warning the move would end the party. A June 12 report described a compromise proposal in which primaries would be held in August alongside eight reserved slots for Netanyahu — a structure similar to the current deal now reported. Previous reporting from June 9 indicated pressure within the party to install an arranging committee that would bypass primaries entirely, a path Netanyahu has now abandoned.
What remains open: whether Bitan acquiesces to the 8–10 slots, and whether the arrangement passes the Likud's Constitution Committee, which the June 12 report noted was set to discuss the matter.
2 developments
- StrongLikud primaries reportedly set to be canceled; Netanyahu to determine list
- StrongNetanyahu schedules another political meeting amid Likud tensions over primary bypass
- StrongReports: Netanyahu camp considers Likud list slot for local government chair Bivas
- DevelopingLikud members furious at Netanyahu amid warnings that canceled primaries would end the party
Source and signal
- Internal intake