Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently sought to hold immediate primaries for the Likud leadership in order to prevent the formation of the ‘change’ government led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid.

Arutz Sheva has learned that the initiative failed due to opposition from senior Likud members, including Minister Yisrael Katz, chairman of the Likud secretariat, and MK Haim Katz, chairman of the Likud center.

The officials expressed concern that the Likud lacked the budget to fund primaries now, as well as fear that Netanyahu would lose the primaries.

The two estimated that if Nir Barkat, Yuli Edelstein or Yariv Levin had run in the primaries, they might have defeated Netanyahu, claiming that only they could form a government if the ‘change’ government disintegrated.

Netanyahu was forced to withdraw his proposal.

If the new government lasts, the Likud will hold its next leadership primaries in 2025.

Source: Arutz Sheva