Likud Braces for Primary Fight as Netanyahu Pushes Committee Option

Likud is heading into an internal showdown over whether to hold party primaries or replace them with a committee that would draw up the Knesset slate. On Sunday, MK David Bitan filed a petition with the Likud court demanding that the committee be blocked and the primaries be held as planned. He argued, “It is impossible to deprive tens of thousands of party members of their right to choose their representatives.”

The fight centers on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s effort to cancel the primaries and establish what party figures call a “consultative committee,” though critics prefer to call it a committee already operating in practice. Some ministers, MKs and Central Committee members support the move, but others say primaries are part of the party’s identity. One opponent said, “The Likud DNA is to hold primaries. That is where the movement’s power comes from.”

According to accounts cited by Walla, the committee’s backers have already begun working behind the scenes, even before any formal appointments. They are said to be holding talks aimed at softening resistance and building support, while the composition of the body could still change and may later include MKs and ministers. Likud’s Central Committee is expected to meet this week after being requested to do so by MKs secretary-general Haim Katz.

Among the names linked to the effort are Modi’in Mayor and local-government chief Haim Bibas, Dimona Mayor Beni Biton and Bat Yam Mayor Tzvika Brot. Party sources say Bibas may be considered for a reserved slot on the list and a future government post, while Biton, currently his deputy, could succeed him at the local-government body if that happens. Brot, who heads Likud’s municipal committee, is also expected to play a major role in the campaign. Supporters insist Netanyahu has made no formal commitment, no talks about list placements have begun, and the prime minister will not impose the move by force, only if there is agreement. Opponents, meanwhile, say the repeated delays are already creating chaos for candidates.