Likud primaries likely to proceed as planned after legal challenge

A petition filed with the Jerusalem District Court could clear the way for Likud’s primary election to go ahead as scheduled. The request, submitted by the Social Forum of the National Labor Federation through attorney Arik Twito, seeks to cancel a restraining order that had halted the party conference.

The petition argues that Likud’s legal adviser, attorney Avi Levi, acted without authority when he agreed to the interim order. According to the petitioners, he did so in defiance of binding decisions by Likud’s internal court, and he misled the court by suggesting there were no additional parties to the case, even though the original ruling had been issued jointly in several petitions before a panel of three party judges.

The applicants say Levi lacked statutory authority to sign the temporary order and improperly bypassed the party’s internal rulings, which they say are binding on Likud institutions and their legal advisers. They argue that overturning the order could allow the election process inside the movement to continue and leave the primaries intact.

In the Social Forum of the National Labor Federation, the petitioners said the conduct was “exceptional and especially serious in a major political corporation,” warning that it could harm proper administration, public trust in Likud institutions, and the rule of law. The matter now rests with the Jerusalem District Court, while the party primaries, linked to the 2026 election cycle, appear set to proceed unless the order is upheld.