Health Minister Yuli Edelstein has informed senior Likud members that he intends to run for the party leadership against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Kan 11 News reported on Monday.

According to the report, Edelstein said in closed conversations that “Netanyahu needs to be replaced.” He has also met in recent days with prominent activists in the party and asked for their support.

Edelstein’s name has more than once surfaced as a future presidential candidate, but now he seems to be changing direction.

The Health Minister’s Office said, “The common task of all of us is to thwart the government that relies on the voices of the Islamic Movement. The Minister of Health tends to update the public with his own voice and not through anonymous sources regarding significant decisions.”

In May, Kan 11 News published that Finance Minister Yisrael Katz had submitted a proposal, according to which Netanyahu would allow the Likud Central Committee to elect a temporary candidate to serve as Prime Minister for a year.

The Finance Minister’s proposal, which was presented as a solution to Netanyahu’s inability to form a government, received much criticism within the Likud and was dropped.

Source: Arutz Sheva