The Likud list
The post-primary modifications in the Likud list of candidates for the Knesset election decided by Likud Chairman Netanyahu last week has caused a lot of comment. Actually, the changes were decided by the Likud Court based on the following fact, several places were reserved for women on the list to ensure their participation in the Party. But, actually the top women got more votes than needed for the slots assigned to them, so that actually they would have been in higher slots than those allotted for them. The Court agreed that this was inappropriate and moved the women candidates to their actual places on the list according to their votes. Then they moved the other candidates assigned specific slots, local representatives and new immigrants, into those previously alloted slots for women. This caused other candidates below the women to be pushed down the list, and of course this included Moshe Feiglin (from 20 to 36) and his two main supporters, Michael Ratzbon (to 37) and Ehud Ratom (to 38)
Although Feiglin announced that he would not contend this change, his two associates have brought an appeal to the Court against the changes. Whether Feiglin's charge that the Court is "left-wing" and controlled by Netanyahu will make any difference is not known. Whether this change will be considered as Netanyahu throwing his weight around or merely a justified act by the Party remains to be seen. As of now, it does not seem to have hurt the standing of Likud, although some accuse Likud of having gone too far to the right, but this reduction in the Feiglin group's positions should diminish that accusation.
After all that, the Likud is now expected to announce the merger with a small right-wing party called Tzomet, that got 8 mandates in the last election. Since the candidates of Tzomet must be included into the Likud list, it is expected that Netanyahu will, by adding them, cause the Feiglin group to be even lower on the list and to be reduced to unrealistic positions for being elected. All this is politics as usual in Israel.
The Kadima Party is going to have its Primary this week, and there is negative reaction in the Party to Leader Tzipi Livni's comments the other day that as part of an agreement with the Palestinians, Israeli Arabs would be able to satisfy their "national aspirations" in a Palestinian State. This has been interpreted as Livni having a policy of somehow transferring the Israeli Arabs to any future Palestinian State. This caused an uproar among Israeli Arab representatives, who although not vowing their adherence to the Israeli State, nevertheless oppose any change in their status. It has been suggested that this "right-wing" opinion of Livni will lose her votes among centrist and leftist voters. But, it has also been intepreted as a ploy by her to compete with Likud for some right-wing voters. So we are already into the campaign season.
Although Feiglin announced that he would not contend this change, his two associates have brought an appeal to the Court against the changes. Whether Feiglin's charge that the Court is "left-wing" and controlled by Netanyahu will make any difference is not known. Whether this change will be considered as Netanyahu throwing his weight around or merely a justified act by the Party remains to be seen. As of now, it does not seem to have hurt the standing of Likud, although some accuse Likud of having gone too far to the right, but this reduction in the Feiglin group's positions should diminish that accusation.
After all that, the Likud is now expected to announce the merger with a small right-wing party called Tzomet, that got 8 mandates in the last election. Since the candidates of Tzomet must be included into the Likud list, it is expected that Netanyahu will, by adding them, cause the Feiglin group to be even lower on the list and to be reduced to unrealistic positions for being elected. All this is politics as usual in Israel.
The Kadima Party is going to have its Primary this week, and there is negative reaction in the Party to Leader Tzipi Livni's comments the other day that as part of an agreement with the Palestinians, Israeli Arabs would be able to satisfy their "national aspirations" in a Palestinian State. This has been interpreted as Livni having a policy of somehow transferring the Israeli Arabs to any future Palestinian State. This caused an uproar among Israeli Arab representatives, who although not vowing their adherence to the Israeli State, nevertheless oppose any change in their status. It has been suggested that this "right-wing" opinion of Livni will lose her votes among centrist and leftist voters. But, it has also been intepreted as a ploy by her to compete with Likud for some right-wing voters. So we are already into the campaign season.
posted by Jack Cohen at 6:53 PM
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