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Netanyahu Loses Control Over Likud Convention

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saw the extreme right infiltrate his party, but instead of putting up a fight, he demonstrated apathy and flaccidity.   
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem June 16, 2013. Netanyahu called on Sunday for no let-up in international pressure on Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions after the election of a new president widely seen as a moderate. REUTERS/Uriel Sinai/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX10PJ1
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The June 27 election of Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon, "the settlers’ favorite," to the head of the Likud party convention surprised no one; it only symbolized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s loss of control over his party.

The warning signs had been there over the last four years; giant Likud party registration campaigns were conducted in Judea and Samaria. These registrations systematically succeeded in changing the party’s DNA. Netanyahu saw what was going on, but in those years he exhibited apathy.

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