EXPECTED DEJA VU......

 

The newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" published an article that addressed the primary Israeli elections.

Netanyahu's plan ignites Likud: Unprecedented demands to control the Knesset!

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking broad powers to shape the Likud party's list for the upcoming Knesset elections by demanding that 10 seats be reserved for candidates of his choosing, including four of the top eight spots after his own position on the list.
 
According to the newspaper, Likud officials described this demand as unprecedented, as it effectively gives Netanyahu control over half of the top ten positions. In addition to retaining the top spot, he is demanding that seats 2, 4, 6, and 8 be reserved for candidates of his personal selection, and he is also seeking to allocate seats 11, 15, 18, 22, and 29 to his chosen candidates.

Netanyahu's Likud party selects most of its Knesset candidates through internal primaries. "Reserved seats" allow the party leader to directly add candidates to the list without internal voting. The higher a candidate's position on the list, the greater their chances of entering the Knesset after the election.
 
Sources within Likud familiar with Netanyahu's plan told Yediot Ahronot that these demands will allow him to attract figures from outside the party, reshape its leadership structure, and relegate several current Likud MKs to lower positions with less guaranteed chances of winning.

The newspaper adds: "The internal confrontation over Netanyahu's demands is nearing a decisive stage. The committee was scheduled to meet today, Thursday. The Likud party, headed by Minister Haim Katz, is meeting to establish the rules governing the primaries expected to be held on August 4th. These rules are supposed to determine how Likud members will select the party's Knesset list and the number of seats Netanyahu will be allowed to reserve. However, Netanyahu has already postponed the committee meeting twice and requested a third postponement on Wednesday.
 
Senior Likud leaders say the delays are intended to "stall" and "waste time," ultimately rendering the party unable to hold primaries to choose its Knesset list. In that case, they add, Netanyahu might seek to have a smaller party committee select the list instead of a vote by party members.

A senior Likud official said, "Netanyahu is creating chaos that makes holding primaries impossible, and then he gets what he wants: a committee to arrange the list."
 
The extent of Netanyahu's demands has raised further concerns among Likud MKs. According to party sources, the plan would give him control over the most secure positions on the list, reducing the chances of some current Knesset members returning after the next election.
 
MK David Beitan, The head of the Knesset's Economics Committee, filed a petition with the party's internal court on Wednesday, demanding that the party approve rules for the primaries to prevent further delays. He also called for a secret ballot on the reserved seats demanded by Netanyahu, asserting that members of the party's central committee must be able to vote freely and without pressure.
 
Beitan had stated in recent days that Netanyahu's demand to reserve ten seats for himself "contradicts the party's principles and democracy. He said, "This large number of reserved seats is practically equivalent to forming a committee to arrange the list."
 
The newspaper continued, "In contrast, sources in Likud claim that Netanyahu reached a 'deal' with Haim Katz, who holds the positions of Chairman of the Central Committee and Chairman of the Constitution Committee, whereby he would grant a reserved seat in exchange for Katz's support for Netanyahu's plan.

According to these sources, Netanyahu will allocate a seat to a Knesset member. "Eti Atieh, politically aligned with Katz, is among those seeking the reserved seats. Likud officials estimate that Atieh's chances of winning in the primaries are very slim, if not nonexistent.
 
In return, sources say Katz will help Netanyahu pass the plan for reserved seats within the Constitution Committee and then in the party's Central Committee. However, Katz's office denied these claims Wednesday evening, stating in a brief statement: "This is nonsense. Any decision made will be presented to the party's institutions for ratification."

Just received this article published by a prominent Israeli newspaper, and translated by the site "Lebanon 24" I arranged it to fit our blog, explaining the power game within the Israeli political system, it's a recuring scene in many parts of the world nowadays, maybe in different forms, all trying to maintain power and solidify their positions, whether by creating eternal wars or manipulating existing rules and regulations or both, leaders asking for absolute loyalty to themselves and not safeguarding their countries best interests. And of course Netanyahu is one of the top masters of these games, and an excellent and prime influencer on other leaders, I'm saying it as an American, seeing his effects and manipulations of our policies, foreign or domestic. Anyways, the story has been killed and no media outlet has published a word about it..... The Israeli elections are coming in few days and we don't have a clue as to what or who will attain power, though nothing will change in Israel.

As always, my many thanks to all.