Ministers Dan Meridor, Benny Begin, Avi Dichter and
Michael Eitan of the old guard pushed aside • Moshe Feiglin, head of the
hard-right Jewish Leadership faction will enter the Knesset for the first time
in his political career • Erdan: Olmert more dangerous than Feiglin • Netanyahu
vows to remain loyal to the "values of Jabotinsky."
Mati Tuchfeld, Yael Branovsky and Reuters
The results of the Likud primaries, which ended on Monday
after two days of voting due to glitches in the computerized voting system,
indicated that the party's list for the next Knesset includes MKs considered as
belonging to right-wing factions of the party.
The big drama of the primaries was considered to be
ministers Dan Meridor, Ze'ev Binyamin (Benny) Begin, Avi Dichter and Michael
Eitan failing to garner enough votes to win spots on the list that would
guarantee them seats in the next Knesset.
MKs Danny Danon, Yariv Levin, Tzipi Hotovely all made it
to the top 10 spots on the list. Moshe Feiglin, who heads the Manhigut Yehudit
(Jewish Leadership) faction in the Likud and is considered an extreme right-wing
member of the party, captured the 14th spot on the list and will enter the
Knesset for the first time in his political career.
The party's first 20 candidates for the Knesset are Gideon
Sa'ar, Gilad Erdan, Silvan Shalom, Yisrael Katz, Danny Danon, Reuven Rivlin,
Moshe (Bogie) Ya'alon, Zeev Elkin, Yariv Levin, Tzipi Hotovely, Yuli Edelstein,
Haim Katz, Miri Regev, Moshe Feiglin, Yuval Steinitz, Tzachi Hanegbi, Limot
Livnat, Ofir Akunis, Gila Gamliel and Carmel Shama Hacohen.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the Trade
Fair and Convention Center in Tel Aviv around 1 p.m. and told the
audience: "Those elected to Knesset seats are the national team."
He thanked those who did not make the threshold and said he wanted Meridor and Begin to stay close to him despite their failure to obtain seats in the next Knesset. Netanyahu vowed to remain loyal to the "values of Jabotinsky."
Keti Sheetrit won the 24th spot, which was reserved for a
woman, and economist Shlomo Maoz, whom Netanyahu promoted, did not make it onto
the list. In the spots reserved for regional leaders, David Biton won the seat
for the Shfela region (no. 22), Uri Faraj won the seat for the Dan region (no.
23) and Ayoob Kara won the seat for non-Jews (no. 25).
Contrary to the impression that the only factor
determining the party ticket was back-room deals, the list that was chosen
indicates that the strongest deals had only partial influence over its final
composition. The largest deal, made by Haim Katz, could not help him break into
the list's top 10, and neither could Feiglin. Katz's attempt to politically
"eliminate" Carmel Shama Hacohen also was not successful, as he was ultimately
voted onto the party ticket.
Conversely, ministers and MKs who enjoy widespread public
support, such as Sa'ar, Erdan and Yisrael Katz, managed to secure top positions.
Danny Danon's success in reaching the top five and surpassing some senior
ministers along the way, considered a surprise, is also part of a trend that
became apparent in recent weeks. Danon's accomplishment comes mainly because the
faction's more right-wing elements, which are split into three rival groups, all
supported Danon. Even Yariv Levin won support that crossed similar in-party
boundaries.
In some instances, however, the big deals did make a
difference. The pushing of Meridor, Eitan and Begin off the party ticket was
mostly the result of their being not included in any of the major deals –
neither Katz's nor those put together by the right-wing branch of the party.
In response to the election results, Eitan said: "Eight
consecutive times I accepted the primary election results, when I was chosen to
represent the Likud. This time the Likud members decided differently, and I
accept their decision."
Sources close to Netanyahu reiterated Monday that a
candidate's placement on the list would not influence the next government's
ministerial list. Shama Hacohen, who barely made the party's national ticket
despite the attempts to oust him, said on Monday, "I am the only one who
defeated the 'Katzism.' Apparently brown-nosing to belligerence is less
effective than telling the truth. It beats even the aggressive deal that
determined almost the entire Likud ticket. This is the happiest day of my
life."
Netanyahu also sustained a resounding defeat when his
recommended candidates were left off the list, including Shlomo Maoz, Avi
Dichter, and Yulia Shamalov Berkovitch. Some of his more strident loyalists in
the Likud, Ofir Akunis and Yuval Steinitz, did not make the top 10.
As opposed to the previous elections, however, this time
Netanyahu barely tended to the primaries, namely because of the fighting in the
south that occurred at a crucial time for the candidates.
Sa'ar, who won first place on the list, said, "Those who
think the list is hawkish and most of the public is with the Left are not being
realistic."
Erdan, who won the second spot, said he was proud of the
Likud's list.
"When you compare our list with that of any other party, you will see that we have more public servants with proven experience," he said. Asked about Feiglin's winning the 14th spot , Erdan said, "[Former Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert is much more dangerous than a man like Feiglin."
MK Danny Danon, who came in fifth and is the only MK who
is not a minister among those who topped the list, said, "I have been loyal to
the party's values for the past four years, and Likud members want a strong
party."
MK Tzipi Hotovely, who won the 10th place on the list and
is the only woman in the top 10, said, "It is a great honor that the members
allowed me to be the party's female representative. Winning the vote involves
soliciting support, hard work and sweat. It is also not accomplished on one's
own."
Moshe (Bogie) Ya'alon, who came in at No. 7 on the list
and is viewed as a possible candidate for the position of defense minister,
expressed dismay that some of his friends did not make it onto the list.
"I am sorry that Benny Begin and Dan Meridor did not make it, but this is a natural process. This is what the voters wanted and in my opinion it reflects a change the Israeli public is undergoing as well," he said.
Although Netanyahu is predicted to win re-election in
January, being surrounded by more hardline lawmakers than previously could
toughen his policies on such issues as Iran's nuclear program which Israel has
vowed to stop, and diplomacy with the Palestinians, which has been frozen since
2010.
Kadima Chairman Shaul Mofaz said in a statement that
Likud, the party to which he also once belonged, "has now lost its way and been
swayed to the extreme margins of the political map."
Meanwhile, Yisrael Beytenu's central committee is set to
complete its interviews of candidates for the next Knesset. So far, the
committee has interviewed more than 200 candidates and its five members are
scheduled to present their recommendations on the day members vote for the party
list, currently scheduled for Dec. 4.
Party secretary MK Faina Kirshenbaum said on Monday that
rumors about places on the list being reserved for members of Likud who failed
to make it on the Likud's list are fabrications.
"It's like the rumors that had Barak joining our party a day before he announced he would not run in the upcoming elections," she said.
Members of Yisrael Beytenu gathered at Maccabiah Village
in Ramat Gan on Sunday for the marathon of interviews with candidates who made
it to the final stage of the selection process, which was initiated because the
party will be running jointly with the Likud.
It is believed that Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman
will have the final say on the composition of his party's list, and the
candidates will most likely include those who are acceptable to both Lieberman
and Netanyahu. According to the agreement between the parties, both leaders will
try to formulate a united list acceptable to both.
|
Tags:
Posts
0 comments: