Channel 14 Commentator Challenges MK Tzvia Malka’s Eligibility in Likud Primaries

Eddie Cohen, a Channel 14 commentator and candidate in the Likud primaries, filed an urgent petition with the Likud party’s internal court to disqualify MK Tzvia Malka from running in the "new immigrants" slot. Cohen argues that Malka does not meet the party’s eligibility criteria, which define a "new immigrant" as someone who immigrated to Israel after 1993. According to Cohen, Malka immigrated in 1984, about a decade earlier, making her ineligible for that specific slot.

The petition, titled "Urgent Appeal Against Inclusion of a Candidate Not Meeting Eligibility Criteria in the New Immigrants Slot for the 26th Knesset Likud Primaries," requests the Likud election committee to verify Malka’s immigration date with official records. Cohen emphasizes that the appeal is not a personal attack on Malka or her public contributions but focuses solely on the procedural fairness of her placement in the reserved slot, which directly affects his own candidacy.

The petition also references media reports suggesting that senior Likud officials discussed ways to help Malka remain on the candidate list despite her low chances of advancing through the general list, including allowing her to run in the new immigrants slot. Cohen claims this indicates a deliberate circumvention of party rules rather than a mere technical error.

Another issue raised is the funding disparity: sitting MKs like Malka receive approximately 380,000 shekels in state campaign financing, while non-MK candidates do not, creating an inherent inequality. The Likud court is scheduled to hear this and other related petitions on Sunday, including challenges to the rule allowing sitting MKs to run in district slots. By Monday, incumbent MKs must declare which slot they intend to contest.

This legal challenge highlights internal disputes over candidate eligibility and fairness ahead of the Likud primaries for the upcoming Knesset elections.