Likud MK David Bitan, who petitioned against the party’s move to cancel primaries, said in a Monday morning interview with 103FM that replacing the vote with a committee system would hurt the party. He argued that such a mechanism “does not suit Likud” and warned that changing the system so close to an election is unacceptable.
Bitan said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would prefer to appoint lawmakers himself, adding that “it itches him in the hands.” He said Netanyahu could not have entered Likud if a selection committee had controlled the party years ago, because “all the princes in Likud” were not interested in him then. “Thanks to democracy he entered Likud and became prime minister,” Bitan said.
He also said he is not satisfied with all of the current Likud Knesset list, but stressed that he does not decide it. Bitan warned that if primaries are blocked, “the vitality of Likud will end two months before the election,” and said parties have been erased over time because a party cannot be sustained on a non-democratic basis. Asked whether Likud itself could disappear, he replied, “Within eight years, in my opinion, yes.”
Bitan also commented on the U.S. deal with Iran and the dispute between U.S. President Donald Trump and Netanyahu. “Donald Trump is harming Likud, that is completely clear,” he said, while adding that Israel will still have to act periodically to prevent Iran’s continued strengthening. N12 published the interview on June 22, 2026, at 08:48.
