Revving up for elections, Bennett seeks early Jewish Home primaries

Education Minister Naftali Bennett on Wednesday requested that primaries for his Jewish Home party be moved up, in the latest in a series of political maneuvers by Knesset factions seen as a portent that new national elections could be in the offing.

Bennett, who heads the hawkish religious-nationalist party, asked that the vote be held in the next few weeks. A meeting was set by party leadership for Thursday evening to discuss the request.

A Jewish Home party source told The Times of Israel that the primaries are likely to take place shortly after the Passover holiday.

Though new general elections are officially only expected in 2019, a number of parties have indicated they are preparing for the possibility they will take place within the next year as a result of two investigations into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s dealings that could see him forced out of power.

The announcement by Bennett, a senior partner in Netanyahu’s governing coalition, is the strongest signal yet that new elections may be on the horizon.

Jewish Home rules state that the results of this early party vote will only remain valid into the 21st Knesset if elections are held within the next six months.

Bennett is believed to be poised to gain a great deal from early party elections, solidifying his hold on the pro-West Bank settlement party.

No other candidates have announced their intention to run for Jewish Home’s top spot, and it is unlikely that anyone is strong enough to unseat the education minister.

Analysts believe Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked would be hard-pressed to challenge Bennett, and she has indicated that she has no plans to do so.

“Our candidate for prime minister after the Netanyahu era is Naftali Bennett. He is the best person for (the job)… and I call on the public to join the party, vote and be counted,” Shaked said Wednesday.

A poll carried by the Walla News site Wednesday morning named Shaked as the second most popular choice for prime minister among female politicians, behind opposition Zionist Union MK Tzipi Livni. Shaked recently gained a significant political victory by appointing three conservative justices to the Supreme Court.

Jewish Home member Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben Dahan also welcomed Bennett’s move.

Bennett’s decision comes as election talk has ramped up in recent weeks, with some in Likud openly saying they will seek the party’s leadership.

Netanyahu was questioned by police for the fourth time earlier this week, and police indicated a recommendation to the attorney general on whether to indict the prime minister would come soon.

Netanyahu is being probed in two separate cases, one involving gifts from wealthy businessmen and the other involving a suspected quid pro quo with the publisher of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

It’s not clear if he would be forced to step down if he is indicted.

On Saturday, Likud MK Avi Dichter said Netanyahu could no longer fulfill his duties as prime minister while being a suspect in ongoing criminal investigations. He said he planned to run for the Likud leadership in the future.

A day later, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz announced that he plans to run for leadership of the party, but only once Netanyahu leaves his position.

On Sunday, the Labor party announced that its own leadership primaries will be held on July 3, in what is shaping up to be an acrimonious contest with candidates already maneuvering and jostling for an advantage.

Among those who have indicated they will run against current party chair Isaac Herzog are former high-tech entrepreneur MK Erel Margalit, former party leader MK Amir Peretz, former head of the elite IDF unit Sayeret Matkal MK Omer Barlev, former environmental protection minister Avi Gabbay, MK Eitan Cabel and activist-journalist Eldad Yaniv.

If no candidate passes the 40 percent threshold, a second-round vote would be held on July 13.

Tuesday saw the Yesh Atid party announce that seven regional council heads from across the country were joining the party “in order to bring about change,” in a press conference widely seen as connected to preparations for new elections.

Last month, Meretz head Zehava Galon announced that she would be altering her own faction’s election rules to introduce open leadership primaries.

Until now, the list for the left-wing slate has been chosen by a small group of convention delegates.