Israel National News cites a Maariv report which states that prime minister Netanyahu “plans to cancel the clause requiring [Likud] membership of over 16 months in order to have the right to vote in internal party elections”:
Likud leader and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu fears the growing power of Moshe Feiglin’s Jewish leadership faction within the Likud; especially because he wants to pass controversial resolutions supporting a Jewish building freeze in Judea and Samaria. It says Netanyahu therefore plans to hold a lightening membership drive prior to the upcoming Likud Central Committee elections in order to offset the Feiglin support. According to the paper, Netanyahu also plans to cancel the clause requiring membership of over 16 months in order to have the right to vote in internal party elections.
Maariv says Feiglin’s supporters in the Likud number some 15,000 or 15% of the overall membership. In the past, former Likud leader and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon employed a similar scheme in order to ward of Netanyahu’s party leadership bid.
Commentary:
The line goes; Netanyahu plans to force passage of the building freeze through the Likud central committee by planning “to cancel the clause requiring membership of over 16 months in order to have the right to vote in internal party elections” in order for hom load up Likud with dregs who will follow instructions and vote Bibi’s way, just as Omri Sharon did when fighting Netanyahu’s leadership challenge to the leadership of his Dad, Arik Sharon.
But to repeal this clause, he will have to defeat formidable forces, Manhigut Yehudit and it’s allies, who successfully installed the 16 month clause in the Likud laws to begin with. These factions will fight the repeal of the clause with as much or more vigor as when they successfully fought to install the clause. MB