Likud Candidates Fear Netanyahu-Backed Move to Cancel Party Primaries Amid Security Concerns

Several Likud candidates, including incumbent Knesset members and newcomers, are increasingly concerned that senior party ministers support canceling the upcoming primaries. They fear this move aims to prevent them from being placed in unelectable positions on the party list. According to reports from Kan 11's "This Morning," these candidates believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to ultimately cancel the primaries and instead appoint the Knesset list through a special organizing committee, especially given the current preparations for a potential security escalation.

Despite Netanyahu's proposal to hold primaries next week, candidates suspect he might annul them close to the election date. Yesterday, Likud's CEO David Sharan informed candidates they could submit their candidacy forms for the primaries. However, some ministers and Knesset members have already spent significant sums on their campaigns, expecting a budget of approximately 370,000 shekels, and have urged Netanyahu not to cancel the primaries to avoid leaving them with financial debts.

If the list is ultimately determined by a committee, it will include Netanyahu and five mayors. The mayors expected to serve on this committee are Haim Bibas (Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut), Tzvika Brot (Bat Yam), and Beni Biton (Dimona). Other potential members include Shay Hajaj (head of the Regional Councils Association and Merhavim Regional Council), Yaakov Peretz (Kiryat Ata), and Yechiel Zohar (Netivot). The possibility of canceling the primaries has also sparked calls within the party for some Knesset members to withdraw from the primaries in exchange for appointed positions, citing the "wartime situation" as justification for such decisions.