Likud members determine party’s Knesset list
The composition of the Likud Knesset list, elected yesterday, reflects the color of the upcoming succession battle when and if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted.
On Feb. 5, Likud members picked the party candidates for the April 9 Knesset elections, providing a sneak preview of the Netanyahu future war of succession. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan and former Minister Gideon Saar took the top four slots in the primary. One member of this quartet will likely emerge as the party’s next chair once Netanyahu steps down as a candidate for prime minister.
Netanyahu did his best in recent months to undermine the prospects of his nemesis Saar, a popular Likud figure whose name comes up often as Netanyahu's likely successor. Netanyahu knew he would not be able to shun Saar aside, given his great popularity among the Likud rank and file. His explicit call urging party members not to vote for Saar in the primary appears to have had no impact either way, but it did taint Saar as a subversive — a result Netanyahu sought to ensure.
Netanyahu easily scored the No. 1 post, so he is not fighting for the party leadership. He has complete hold of the Likud, and no one — not even Saar — is challenging it at this stage. The same goes for the April 9 elections, with all polls placing the Likud well ahead of its rivals and indicating its assured victory.
Netanyahu will wage his wars in the public and legal arenas and launch them once Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit decides whether to indict him on criminal charges. Mandelblit appears likely to announce an indictment of Netanyahu on charges of bribery stemming from an influence-peddling scheme known as Case 4000. His announcement is expected before the elections, but the hearing he is required to grant Netanyahu prior to an actual indictment will probably take place after the voting.
