Likud Primaries Recount Sparks Turmoil as Minister Gilat Gamliel Loses Spot

The Likud party primaries continue to generate controversy a week after the initial results were published. A recount conducted yesterday caused a major shakeup in the candidate list, with Minister Gilat Gamliel dropping from 25th to 35th place, while Knesset member Eti Atiya, an ally of Minister Haim Katz, advanced at her expense. This development has provoked anger among party officials and branch leaders, some of whom contacted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's chief of staff, Ido Norden, to express their protest. Gal Yosef, a Likud Central Committee member from Ra'anana, urged Norden to "immediately put Minister Haim Katz in his place," accusing Katz of attempting to promote personal interests unlawfully and warning that any harm to Gamliel could lead their faction to reconsider its position within Likud.

Minister Haim Katz responded unusually by posting the contact details of the Lahav 433 police unit on his X account, telling critics to direct their complaints there. The conflict escalated further when Gamliel's husband filed a police complaint against Likud CEO David Sharan, Katz, and a security chief, alleging fraud and forgery.

This turmoil follows a series of disputes over vote counting in the primaries. The Likud Supreme Court unanimously accepted an appeal by Shlomo Elboum to lift the freeze on counting votes from double envelopes cast by members from Jerusalem and Ashdod, whose names were missing from the voter registry due to a party system error. The court ruled that these votes must be counted, as the party cannot benefit from its own administrative failure. This decision could significantly impact tight races, such as the one between MKs David Bitan and Boaz Bismuth, currently separated by only 16 votes.

Additionally, more ballot boxes are being recounted. The Likud announced that following the party election committee's decision, led by retired judge Menachem Naaman, a recount will take place in Be'er Ya'akov, with results to be finalized after appeals on Thursday. The party emphasized its commitment to election integrity and adherence to court and committee directives.