Loyalty prevailed over Likudism, the second Israel defeated the first, but Netanyahu did not cut the deals

To the top of the party came the MKs who demonstrated almost total devotion to the leader, while those who see themselves as his successors were relegated to the list. However, loyalty did not prevail over the territory or the deals that Netanyahu sees as future threats. The winners and losers in the Likud primaries

His dew

11/08/2022

Thursday, August 11, 2022, 7:00 p.m. Updated: 7:15 p.m.

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In the video: Netanyahu reacts to the results of the Likud primaries (photo: Likud spokespeople)

The golden chain of loyalty in the image of Benjamin Netanyahu, which became the most famous gimmick in the Likud primaries, did not bring much luck to the candidate who promoted it: Heidi Moses, who hoped to win the new woman slot, received only hundreds of votes, and came to one of the last places on the list.

But looking at the results of the primaries shows that the golden pendant was actually a kind of symbol, and a call of direction towards the change of face of the list.

Each of the members of the prestigious top five, from Yariv Levin to Amir Ohana, could wear it with pride: all of them have demonstrated almost total devotion and loyalty to the party leader in recent years.

took the place of the traditional top leaders in Likud:

They won the first places in the previous primaries in 2019 and this time only reached the second ten.

Both see themselves as Netanyahu's successors and have been waiting for years for the day after him.

Edelstein, who challenged his leadership last year and tried to challenge him in a time of need, was punished and relegated to the middle of the second ten;

Katz lost his position at the top and was only selected for the beginning of the top ten.

About a month ago, Katz was embarrassed by the video in which he was awarded Netanyahu's pendant and was quick to tweet "I never wear necklaces".

Indeed, he did not pass the loyalty test of Likud officials.

The one who excelled in it with phenomenal success, on the other hand, is Yariv Levin, who won 1st place and received 60% of the total votes, by a huge margin from everyone who came after him.

Levin has been climbing in Likud since 2009 diligently and consistently and in the last two years has become Netanyahu's confidant, the bringer and the bringer, the ultimate close associate.

His closeness to Netanyahu even marks him as a future successor, and the Likud territory also had its say and expressed its faith in him.

More on the Likud primaries

• The results of the Likud primaries: Levin in first place, Israel Katz and Edelstein outside the starting ten

List of primaries in Likud (photo: photo processing, official website)

, who last time finished in the top five, was also

relegated to the second five this time.

She maintained her position as the most powerful woman in the Likud, but paid a price for the cooling of her relationship with Netanyahu, partly following an interview she gave last year in which she announced, prematurely, her intention to run for Likud leadership the day after Netanyahu.

In the same interview, Regev criticized the Likud for electing leaders with "white DNA", and stated that it would establish an "alliance of eastern elites" in the party.

The results of the primaries show that Regev's prophecy about the golden age revolution in the Likud has indeed come true: in the top ten there is a 50% representation to the ex-ministers of the Mizrahi community. The representatives of Israel II - Eli Cohen, Ohana, Amsalem, Regev, and Miki Zohar - have always been in the party, but now they have taken over the top and imposed adequate representation on it.

Loyalty to Netanyahu was both the key to the success of the new face and to the great leaps of the MKs in office within The list:

Jumped from 20th place in 2019 to 6th place;

Along the way, he supported Gideon Sa'ar's run against Netanyahu for the leadership of the party, but since then he repented, made a U-turn and became one of his biggest defenders, and in the last year served as his deputy in the opposition's struggles in the Knesset.

, who competed for the first time in the national list, jumped to the top of the second ten.

Atbarian, who was armored by Netanyahu last time, quickly became one of his biggest fighters in the Knesset and in the studios, and with only a year and a half of service, overtook veteran Yukudniks such as

who were relegated to unrealistic positions.

In their place, two proud and self-proclaimed bibists who built a career in the studios in recent years defending Netanyahu at all costs -

- were added to the list .

Gottlieb is expected to strengthen the Likud chorus of Levin, Amsalem, Distel and Krei against the judicial system.

beat all his opponents by a huge margin.

Levin, yesterday (photo: Reuven Castro)

Loyalty to Netanyahu in many ways prevailed over grass roots Likudism, but contrary to Netanyahu's early expectations, the organized deals and power groups did not collapse or fall.

both secured respectable places on the list - Katz kept his place in the second ten and managed to get his associate,

, elected in a realistic place.

Atia bypassed well-known and beloved Likudniks such as

- and only thanks to the deals.

Bitten advanced about 6 places compared to the previous result.

Although Netanyahu entered into a head-on confrontation with him in an attempt to prevent him from promoting his own candidates and gaining power positions, Bitan managed to strengthen his power and his final position is a show of muscle.

Netanyahu recorded the main achievement over Bitan even before the polls opened, when the district court rejected in the 90th minute the candidacy of his uncle Laniado, who is notorious for his criminal past, which includes convictions for assault and burglary.

Netanyahu fought by the skin of his teeth to prevent Leniado from running and being elected, fearing that he would tarnish the Likud and harm his main strategic effort in the elections - to bring home one or two mandates from the moderate and state-oriented right.

Netanyahu's opponents eagerly awaited the election of Lenaido, in order to launch a negative smear campaign starring the new criminal face of the Likud;

His disqualification took a big stone from Likud's heart.

Netanyahu was very disturbed and worried about pockets of opposition in Likud leaders, Hatzim and Bitan, to form with the new candidates selected in the geographic districts.

He changed the election system and transferred the election from the members of the center to the incumbents in order to reduce the power of the deals, publicly supported safe candidates, and discussed petitions and disqualifications in the Likud's judicial institutions.

The results show that the effort failed, and may even work against him like a boomerang one day: Katz managed to get his associate Eti Atiya into the Knesset and the deal between him and Bitan also brought in Nissim Vettori who was elected in the Galilee and Emekim district.

Those around Netanyahu fear that the charges left by the primaries will lead to the formation of an internal faction that will cause problems after the elections, to the point of splitting up and joining Gideon Sa'ar in the opposite camp.

paid a price for the cooling of her relations with Netanyahu.

Regev (Photo: Reuven Castro)

Netanyahu is also concerned about the winner in the South District, Shalom Danino, who will be placed in 22nd place, who is considered close to Sa'ar, and about the candidate who won from Laniado's loser in the Tel Aviv district, Usher Shekelim, even though the 38th place is still not realistic.

In the 26th place, reserved for the Dan district, will be placed Hanoch Milibetsky, a representative of the "Kabbalah Laam" group which in recent years has recruited thousands of Likud functionaries and has become one of the strongest organized forces in the party.

The name of Kabbalah Leam, which is sometimes described as a cult, has been associated with a series of negative revelations in recent years, which may embarrass the Likud during the campaign.

The most important factor: the area

Between the loyalty and the deals, the high voting rates in Likud, close to 80 thousand people, reflect the perhaps most important parameter in shaping the results: the territory.

Besides being loyal, the first five is also a hard-working five, which spread its legs between branches and activists throughout the year, and not just in honor of the primaries.

Eli Cohen's dizzying and seemingly surprising success is also attributed to intensive work with the activists, as is Galant, another one of our refugees, who also enjoys the prestige of the security ticket.

, the

only heir who survived at the top, and

, who climbed 12 places compared to the ranking in 2019, also did so thanks to extensive field work and contact with the freelancers.

This is the first time in 12 years that the Likud primaries are held in the opposition, and this also probably had an effect: in the past, the party's ministers who sat in the government had a built-in advantage over the MKs, in terms of influence and jobs, but many of the former ministers - Katz,

, and the Nagabi also lost part of their grip on the territory with the government.

Former MK

, on the other hand, made an impressive comeback, seven years after he left the Knesset in favor of the position of ambassador to the United Nations.

In New York as well, Danon made sure to maintain his activist camp, and since he returned to Israel about two years ago, he raised it up again, reaching 13th place.

So loyalty to Netanyahu is still not the be-all and end-all.

It did indeed become a central factor in the voting of free voters in Likud, but it did not overcome the territory or the deals.

And above all, she did not torpedo what he sees as future threats from the power outposts, in which the primaries left scorched fields.

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