Likud MK Afif Abd Withdraws Supreme Court Petition Over Primary Election District Rules

In a significant development in the Likud party's primary elections saga, MK Afif Abd has withdrawn his petition to the Supreme Court challenging a district court ruling. The district court had rejected Abd's appeal, upholding the validity of the Likud Central Committee's vote and confirming the party tribunal's decision that incumbent Knesset members and ministers cannot run in district slots but must compete only on the national list. This ruling deals a blow to several MKs, including Keti Shitrit, Eti Atiya, and Nissim Vaturi, who had planned to secure their positions through district contests.

The controversy began when the Likud tribunal accepted petitions against allowing sitting MKs and ministers to run in district races, a move challenged by attorney Yair Gabay, a candidate in the Jerusalem and Shfela district, who argued it violated equal opportunity principles. After the tribunal's decision, Abd appealed to the district court, which rejected his petition. Abd initially planned to appeal to the Supreme Court but has now decided to withdraw his case.

Attorney Yair Gabay sharply criticized Likud's legal advisor, Ilan Bombach, accusing him of acting against the party tribunal's ruling in court, which Gabay described as potentially bad faith and a breach of professional ethics. Gabay declared he would not participate in what he called a "circus" at the Supreme Court.

The withdrawal of Abd's petition concludes a major legal chapter in the primary elections dispute, but the party continues preparations for the vote, aware that further delays could jeopardize the schedule. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved shortening the training period for Deputy Minister Almog Cohen of Otzma Yehudit, enabling Cohen to run in the primaries. Cohen officially announced his candidacy and thanked Netanyahu for his trust. The upcoming Likud primaries are expected to be highly competitive and complex, with dozens of candidates vying for spots on the list for the 26th Knesset, and about half of the 40 incumbent MKs and ministers likely to lose realistic positions.