How Netanyahu is sidelining potential rivals

It will take a long time for Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz to recover from the politically humiliating blow from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Aug. 17. He might never come back entirely from Netanyahu scolding him over the series of resolutions Katz passed at the Likud secretariat, and certainly not as long as the prime minister serves as Likud chairman and prime minister.

While Katz is licking his wounds and attempting to convince the public that the prime minister did not really threaten to fire him, it is highly doubtful that another Likud minister will ever consider leading an oppositional move against Netanyahu. The Likud, a democratic movement known for its pluralism and vigorous internal political discourse, is fast becoming an emasculated party with no potential future leaders. Its leadership reserves have been systematically eliminated or neutralized by the prime minister, and the consequences for the post-Netanyahu era could be devastating for the ruling party.