Good for the Likud. Bad for Feiglin:
The Likud elections committee upheld on Thursday a petition to move controversial party figure Moshe Feiglin from the 20th place on the party ticket to 36th, despite his strong showing at this week’s party primary. Feiglin is an archrival of Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu. The success of Feiglin and his backers in the primary was a blow to Netanyahu’s effort to present his right-of-center party as more centrist for the upcoming general elections. Polls show Likud winning about 35 seats in the election… out of the Knesset.
Actually it could turn out good for Feiglin too. He’s telling right-wing supporters to vote for the Likud to get him into the Knesset . So far he’s shown only an ability to leverage his static base of support within the Likud. If he can deliver enough popular votes to get himself into the Knesset – and in the meantime establish a stable center-right government controlled on a policy level by Netanyahu – it would make him a genuine electoral player. But it’s doubtful that the Likud list will get that deep (or, I suppose, that they could win that many mandates without electorally obliterating the rest of Israeli right).
This removes one more wildcard in what’s shaping up to be a pretty boring election. Of course Livni or Barak could try to make it interesting by showing the slightest interest in defending Israeli citizens. Livni seems to be quickly moving in that direction even as Barak is taking a more nuanced approach. But let’s not get crazy. There’s a new regime in DC and everybody knows what that means.
References:
* Israeli Politics Roundup – Political Morons Who Ushered In Lebanon II Kadima Government Make Major Gains In Likud Primaries [MR]
* Likud committee bumps Feiglin down to 36th on party ticket [Ha'aretz]
* Netanyahu to ‘Post’: I’m in charge, I set the policies [JPost]
* Livni: Hey, I Guess These Daily Rocket Attacks Aren’t Much Of A Ceasefire After All [MR]
* US Warns Israel Against Pre-Obama Attacks On Iran Or Hamas [MR]
Previously:
* Olmert Resigning, Livni To Try To Form New Coalition. Unofficial Election Countdown Begins Now.
* Israeli Politics Roundup – 2007-11-28 – Annapolis Edition (Plus: The Most Under-Appreciated Poll Of The Month)
* Israeli Politics Roundup – 2007-08-14 – Likud Primary Voters Set Out To Prove Themselves Slightly Less Stupid Than Labor Primary Voters
