Likud primary results show dramatic rightward shift in party hierarchy
Ultra-nationalist Moshe Feiglin takes 15th place in vote for Knesset slate; perceived moderates Meridor, Begin and Dichter outside top 20
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleIlan Ben Zion is an AFP reporter and a former news editor at The Times of Israel.
The Likud primary elections results published Monday evening yielded a drastic rightward turn in the the party leadership, with ultra-nationalist Moshe Feiglin making it to the 15th spot, and several party moderates left out altogether.
According to official results, the top 10 members of the Likud party list, not including party chairman Benjamin Netanyahu, were Gideon Sa’ar, Gilad Erdan, Silvan Shalom, Yisrael Katz, Danny Danon, Reuven Rivlin, Moshe Ya’alon, Zeev Elkin, Yariv Levine, and Yuli Edelstein.
Notable absences from the top 20 were Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor, Home Front Defense Minister Avi Dichter, and ministers without portfolio Michael Eitan and Benny Begin.
Likud MK Carmel Shama Hacohen reacted with dismay to the primary results, saying he was not comfortable with the new party list.
The Likud is running in the January 22 elections together with Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu, and Netanyahu may yet seek to amend the overall list to marginalize certain politicians and advance others.
The Times of Israel Community.