Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu interviewed candidates for the position of his political adviser. It was part of a comprehensive program to rehabilitate Netanyahu’s image in his own Likud party. Netanyahu wants to regain control over the mechanisms of the ruling party, control that he has lost over the past few years. He is looking for an energetic young candidate to run between the party’s branch offices and make the right political connections on his behalf. Most of all, the prime minister hopes that his new political adviser will help him to avoid any more embarrassments like the ones he suffered in his most recent battles within the party’s institutions.
Over the past few days, Netanyahu’s schedule has been devoted largely to his summit with US President Barack Obama at the White House. Nevertheless, as part of his rehabilitation program, Netanyahu also cleared some time on his busy schedule to meet with senior Likud activists for the first time since the last elections in January 2013. These are mostly confidantes of senior ministers from the Likud, whose support Netanyahu is eager to get.