Jerusalem has been a source of great satisfaction to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his friends on the pro-settlement right over the past year. The United States recognized the city as Israel’s capital and relocated its embassy there in May. This diplomatic coup boosted Netanyahu’s standing and his Likud party’s polling figures. The decision by veteran Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat to run for a place on the Likud’s next Knesset list instead of running again at the Oct. 30 local elections turned his about-to-be-vacated mayor's office into a new quest for conquest. Netanyahu cannot afford to lose control over “the eternal capital of the Jewish people," whose residents go to the polls in municipal elections three months from now.

The decision by Ze’ev Elkin, the minister of Jerusalem affairs and minister of environmental protection, to run for the mayoralty should have made Netanyahu happy. Elkin is considered one of the most talented and serious members of the Likud party leadership, he is well known and enjoys support among national religious circles. However, much to the disappointment of this politician, who started his career in the now-defunct Kadima party, Netanyahu gave him the cold shoulder.

For over two months, since announcing his bid, Elkin pleaded for the prime minister’s blessing. The Ukrainian-born Elkin, who serves as Netanyahu’s regular interpreter at meetings on issues of great sensitivity with Russian President Vladimir Putin, sought Netanyahu’s endorsement before the deadline for candidates to move officially into the city they seek to lead by June 1. Eventually, he was forced to change his address from the West Bank Etzion settlement bloc to Jerusalem — without the leader’s benediction.

It was only last week on July 24, with the election campaign in full swing, that Netanyahu issued a lukewarm endorsement of Elkin. “As a member of the Knesset, as a minister, and particularly as the Jerusalem affairs and heritage minister, Minister Elkin has done so much for our capital and proved that it is close to his heart and very dear to him. I wish him great success.” Several days prior to this statement, Elkin explained Netanyahu’s reluctance in an interview with Russian-language media, citing heavy pressure on Netanyahu by Shas party leader Aryeh Deri, who supports rival candidate Moshe Leon. One can also attribute Netanyahu’s belated support to Elkin’s insistence on running as an independent, a decision strongly opposed by the powerful Jerusalem Likud party branch, led by close Netanyahu associate and Knesset member David Amsalem. This group has already announced that Elkin’s campaign will not get a penny of the Likud’s election financing funds.