Motty Babchik Leads Gur Hasidim's Thousand Votes in Likud Primaries, Influencing Candidate List

In the ongoing Likud party primaries, approximately one thousand veteran party members affiliated with the Gur Hasidic sect, led by Motty Babchik, are actively participating, primarily concentrated in Jerusalem. These voters receive a pre-marked ballot recommending support for 13 specific candidates, including Amir Ohana, Yariv Levin, Miri Regev, and Shlomo Karai. This organized voting bloc aims to consolidate its influence by backing a unified list rather than individual candidate choices.

The involvement of Babchik's group is notable given that Babchik himself does not vote for Likud and has previously attempted to promote alliances with left-wing parties for a joint coalition. Despite this, the Gur Hasidim's voting power in the primaries could significantly impact the composition of the Likud candidate list for the upcoming Knesset elections.

As of now, 34,504 Likud members have voted, representing about 26.4% of the party's 140,000 members, with Jerusalem showing a particularly high turnout. This participation rate is higher compared to previous primaries at the same stage. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office expresses concern that loyal members aligned with him, such as Boaz Bismuth and Amichai Shikli, might be pushed out of the party list due to these internal deals and shifting alliances within the primaries.