In a blow to the mainstream Likud leadership, the Tel Aviv District Court ruled that the party may not postpone the Central Committee elections, ordering the elections for the party’s governing body to be held by the end of April.
The move is without a doubt a boost to the Manhigut Yehudit faction of the party headed by Moshe Feiglin, who is working from within the party to change it back to the days of old, seeking to adopt a platform of a Greater Land of Israel. Feiglin, a shomer shabbat Jew, also seeks to increase adherence to a Torah way of life.
In essence, party leader Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu fears Feiglin’s faction will gain seats in the leadership body since he, the prime minister, has fallen out of favor with right-wing voters due to the implementation of his 10-month construction freeze.
Feiglin’s organization released a statement that it remains confident it will pick up additional mandates in the Central Committee elections, stating “The Likud rank and file membership is by and large nationalistic and opposes giving away more land. They will favor candidates from the Jewish Leadership (Manhigut Yehudit) faction, which advocates the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish People and must remain under Israeli sovereignty”.
In his role as party leader, the prime minister is expected to appeal the district court ruling to the Supreme Court.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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2 Responses
” Moshe Feiglin, who is working from within the party to change it back to the days of old”
By days of old do you mean the platform from 1977 (when Begin led Likud to its first election victory, after 30 years as the opposition) – the party emphasized secularism and capitalism – and Begin promptly gave away Sinai for a very limited peace agreement rather than using it as a bargaining chip in getting the Palestinians to settle.
If Feiglin wants a revolution, he should stop trying to join a secular party, and run on a party that supports his platform.
#1 akuperma – With all due respect, politics is a strange animal. Just as in the U.S. you can only become President as a Democrat or Republican no matter how much money you want to spend as an independent so to In Israel. You must work within the Labor or Likud. All other factional/breakaway/startup mini parties fall by the wayside after each election. All 32 of Israels Prime Ministers have either come from Labor or Likud. Moshe Feiglin is politically astute, a frum Yid and a Mench. His position on the issues is normal and rational. Something you rarely see in Israeli politics today. His website is JewishIsrael.org.