Like any profound process, the Likud Party's transformation from a liberal national party to an extreme right-wing party that contemptuously tramples the rule of law was not a sudden event. The change the Likud has undergone was completed Dec. 5 in the Knesset, when Benny Begin emerged as the only party member to vote against a bill that would recognize unauthorized outposts. The measure passed the preliminary reading. In response to Begin’s small rebellion, David Bitan, the coalition chairman and Likud member, suspended Begin from the Knesset’s constitution committee for three weeks.
The move against Begin, the son of Menachem Begin, the Likud’s most admired prime minister, sparked a media storm, while not one member of his party stood by his side. Almost all of the Likud WhatsApp groups, with the exception of one or two, sided with Bitan, who explained in an interview to the Knesset channel, “[Benny Begin] is a real symbol for the Likud, but a symbol also has to fall in line. He can’t be held higher than the people. He can’t do whatever he wants.”
