Israeli Court Upholds Likud Decision Barring MKs From Running in District Primaries

The Israeli District Court rejected a petition challenging the Likud party's internal election process, ruling there is no basis to intervene in the party tribunal's decision. The court's ruling means that current members of the Knesset will be barred from running in the upcoming Likud primaries within the party's districts. Judge Yaakov Shaked emphasized the judiciary's limited role in interfering with internal party decisions, stating that intervention is reserved for exceptional cases, which this is not. The court found no justification to overturn the Likud tribunal's conclusion that the proposed candidacies were not legally accepted due to procedural flaws in the election and vote counting process. This decision effectively upholds the Likud party's internal ruling and could significantly impact the power dynamics within the party ahead of the primaries.