Likud members lash out at Netanyahu over possible primary cancellation

Several Likud members and activists are pushing back against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his aides as they consider canceling party primaries and replacing them with a selection committee. While some in the party support the idea, critics say the move would damage Likud’s democratic character and weaken its connection to the grassroots.

A senior Likud figure in the south said, “Likud is not one man’s party. We want primaries, this is a party that existed before the prime minister and will exist after him.” He argued that Netanyahu himself introduced primaries to Likud and recalled earlier factional systems, saying the party’s protected slots have not worked well. Another activist warned that “tens of thousands of Likud members pay dues in order to influence. If the primaries are canceled, it will be the end of the party, it will turn us into another Labor Party.”

Yaakov, a Likud member, said primaries are essential because they energize the party, mobilize voters and give activists influence. He added that some MKs oppose primaries because they might not win in an open vote. “Yes, primaries sometimes elect people who are not always suitable, but that is the price of being the largest democratic party in Israel,” he said.

Even among candidates, views are mixed. Dr. Nimrod Madar, a brain researcher at the Hebrew University running in the coastal district, said he prefers primaries because they connect the movement to the field and prevent alienation among members. Still, he said he would accept a different decision if it helped Likud win the election. He said he has spent most of the past two years preparing for primaries, alongside more than 300 reserve duty days, and has invested about 100,000 shekels in his campaign. “It hurts, but for me the goal is to promote values and an agenda, not just to be elected to the Knesset,” he said. Kfir Almasi, a Likud Central Committee member, also defended primaries as the party’s defining feature and said he would support only a limited number of reserved spots for Netanyahu, alongside open primaries.