Netanyahu Promotes Move to Replace Likud Primaries with a Selection Committee

Prime Minister Netanyahu is promoting a move to replace the Likud primaries with a selection committee that will determine the order of the party list. Under the plan, a committee including mayors and public figures would decide the order of the first 32 slots, and Netanyahu would propose seven additional reserved spots.

At yesterday’s discussion, Netanyahu argued that the 12 million shekel cost of the primaries is "a contribution to the campaign of Eisenkot and Bennett," because of the extremism it generates and the selection of problematic figures. The move is supported by the departure of seven Likud Knesset members in the previous term and by problems exposed in the State Comptroller’s report on an illegal membership drive in the movement. The plan requires approval by a simple majority in the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, the Secretariat, and the Conference.