Progress in Netanyahu’s efforts to have the Likud list chosen by an appointments committee:
What began as a tactical maneuver aimed at securing a few reserved spots is gaining momentum. This is due to two main reasons: first, the resignation of seven Likud members during the current term; second, the emerging understanding that the party list will remain largely unchanged, except for one or two exceptions; and third, serious problems revealed in the State Comptroller’s report about an illegal mass membership drive within the party.
The developing plan: a committee made up of mayors and public figures will determine the order of the list up to spot number 32, while Netanyahu will propose seven reserved positions of his own.
In a lengthy discussion yesterday, Netanyahu said that the cost of the primaries—12 million shekels—is effectively a donation to Eisenkot and Bennett’s campaign, because it leads to radicalization, which is already visible in the Knesset, and to the selection of problematic candidates (no names were mentioned, but everyone understood whom he meant).
The move requires approval by a simple majority in the Constitution Committee, the Secretariat, and the Party Conference.