Former Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein announced Saturday evening that he will not seek re-election through Likud's internal primary. He left the party last week, citing policy disagreements, and said he would form a new political framework for a national unity government.
Yuli Edelstein formally confirmed Saturday evening that he will not run in Likud's internal primaries, cementing his break from the party he left earlier this week. The announcement came at about 20:44 Jerusalem time, hours after the initial reports of his departure aired on N12's Meet the Press. Edelstein had already told the program he would leave Likud and form a new political framework for national unity; the decision to skip the primaries removes any ambiguity about his return.
Our thread on this story began Saturday at 18:08 Jerusalem, when Edelstein announced on Meet the Press that he was leaving Likud after 23 years, criticizing the party's approach to military service (versions 1-3). At that time, he said he would form a new political framework for national unity. The new development — confirmed by Edelstein himself in a formal statement — is that he will not run in the party's primary, making his departure definitive. No source has yet contradicted this.
As The Zioneer reported on Friday July 3 at 18:31 Jerusalem, Edelstein told N12 in an exclusive interview that he could no longer publicly defend Likud policies and planned to establish a unity-oriented framework. That background item was published before his live television announcement, establishing the sequence.
What remains open is the timeline of Likud's primaries and whether Edelstein will run under a different banner. His office has not named the new framework, nor have any further details on its makeup or platform been announced.
4 developments
- DevelopingEdelstein tells N12 he can no longer justify Likud policies, will form new unity government framework
- DevelopingYuli Edelstein expected to leave Likud, reportedly in talks with Erdan, Shaked
- StrongYuli Edelstein's Likud departure triggers political gridlock, Ayalon highway blocked
- DevelopingLapid: Edelstein Could Have Left Likud Also in August
Source and signal
- Internal intake