In fierce Likud vote, Netanyahu endorses ex-aide accused in submarine scandal
PM also says he has no preferences among incumbent MKs, after reported list details his top and bottom choices
Raoul Wootliff is a former Times of Israel political correspondent and Daily Briefing podcast producer.
With Likud primaries set to take place in two days, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied Sunday morning that he is actively working to ensure certain candidates are elected to the party slate slate while trying to block others. The premier did, however, give one explicit endorsement for one Knesset hopeful: his former bureau chief who is currently facing possible criminal charges in the high-profile submarine scandal case.
The knives are apparently out in the ruling party as 73 candidates compete to fill the top slots on its electoral list in Tuesday’s primary election, known for its behind-the-scenes horse trading. In an arrangement sometimes looked down upon by some Likud members and other political observers, prominent party members often instruct their own supporters to back other candidates in return for reciprocal endorsements.
According to the Israel Hayom daily, the prime minister has also drawn up a list of his own recommendations and, via backroom deals, is trying to ensure his preferences place high on the slate. At the same time, Netanyahu is actively working to prevent a number of prominent lawmakers from returning to parliament, the report said.
The list of preferences, the paper reports, is surprisingly headed by rookie Amir Ohana, the Likud’s first openly gay Knesset member and one of the key MKs who worked on the controversial nation-state law. Following Ohana comes Culture Minister Miri Regev, a prominent acolyte of the prime minister known for her lavish praise of him as well as her attacks on what she describes as a “leftist monopoly over Israel’s cultural institutions.”
Netanyahu’s top five is reportedly rounded out by Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz and Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz. These are followed by Science Minister Ofir Akunis, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely, former and current coalition chairs David Bitan and David Amsalem, and recent Kulanu defector Immigration Minister Yoav Galant, to close the first 10 spots.
Snagging the final five in the prime minister’s list of preferences as reported by Israel Hayom are MK Miki Zohar, Environmental Protection Minister Zeev Elkin, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel and MK Yoav Kisch. Netanyahu, having been elected as Likud chairman, automatically fills the number one spot on the slate.
The omission of a number of key Likud figures indicates the prime minister’s desire that they be kept as low as possible on the final slate.
Notably, Netanyahu is trying to block success for former Likud minister Gideon Sa’ar, whom he has accused of plotting to replace him, Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein, and Communications Minister Ayoub Kara, the report added.
The Likud party said in response that the Israel Hayom report was “no more than speculation” and that no such list existed “at this point.” Netanyahu, specifically denying efforts to hinder candidates, said he supported the primary election of “all incumbent Likud MKs” and was not working to advance any over others.
“I trust Likud members who will choose the most worthy people from this excellent selection,” he said of the battle for spots on the national list (the first 18 spots on the slate go to candidates running in a nationwide ballot, while district representatives fill spots in the 20s and 30s).
But in a message sent to party activists moments later, Netanyahu clarified that in the key district of Tel Aviv, which holds the 29th spot on the list, he was specifically endorsing his former bureau chief David Sharan, despite a police recommendation that he be indicted for bribery in one of Israel’s most sprawling corruption cases.
“I value David Sharan extremely highly and think he is the best candidate in the Tel Aviv district,” Netanyahu said in a message distributed in his name.
Police in November recommended that Sharan, who served in the Prime Minister’s Office between 2014 and 2016, be charged with bribery, fraud, breach of trust, conspiracy, money laundering and violations of campaign financing law in connection with Case 3000, which involves suspected corruption in the purchase of naval vessels from German shipbuilding company ThyssenKrupp. Prosecutors have yet to make their decision on the matter.
Sharan declined Sunday morning to comment on the endorsement.
The Tel Aviv race has emerged as one of the most intriguing regional races in the internal party ballot, with Sharan facing off against a key loyalist of Sa’ar, and is being seen as a barometer for Netanyahu’s ability to win the confidence of Likud members amid three separate criminal investigations in which he himself is suspected of bribery.
Sharan is alleged to have received a bribe of NIS 130,000 ($35,270) in exchange for illicitly advancing the interests of ThyssenKrupp in the government. He is one of a number of high-profile suspects linked to Netanyahu in Case 3000, for whom police have recommended charges. Though Netanyahu himself was not a suspect in the investigation, a number of his close associates have been accused of wrongdoing, including David Shimron, the prime minister’s cousin and former lawyer.
Facing off against Sharan is Michal Shir, a long-time political adviser to Sa’ar, a former Likud minister who resigned in 2014 amid reported tensions with Netanyahu. Since Sa’ar announced his return to politics last year, the prime minister has accused him of plotting behind the scenes to replace him.
Speaking to The Times of Israel on Sunday, Shir refrained from criticizing Netanyahu for his endorsement of her rival and refused to attack Sharan, or the prime minister, over his legal woes.
“It’s legal for him to run for the Knesset and there’s nothing to be said about it,” she said.
“Hopefully I will win,” she added, while stressing that Netanyahu “wants a good list for the Likud party.”
She did, however, defend her former boss Sa’ar from attacks by the prime minister, saying his depiction as a conniving back-stabber was “as far from the truth” as possible.
“Gideon Saar is a unique leader that the Likud party loves and needs. He adds quality to the Likud’s slate and we need him in the party. Most Likud members know that and we will see that on February 5,” Shir said.
The Times of Israel Community.