Netanyahu's Likud must get its house in order if it hopes to perform this October - editorial

The Likud Party is set to conduct its primary on Monday, yet as the date approaches, the regulations governing its upcoming Knesset list remain unsettled due to reserved positions, internal petitions, conflicting explanations, and last-minute changes. This approach to one of the party's most crucial internal elections is far from ideal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already been granted eight slots for candidates of his choosing. Party institutions have subsequently approved guaranteed positions for Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, and Likud Central Committee chairman Haim Katz – the latter of whose position was confirmed on Wednesday after the party tribunal initially suspended the vote.

These developments followed an earlier proposal for an emergency mechanism, allowing a committee of Likud mayors to select the party list if security concerns prevented a primary. However, the tribunal insisted that the primary should occur regardless of external factors. The primary has not been cancelled, and Likud members will ultimately decide on a significant portion of the list.

Nevertheless, when substantial positions are removed from the competition, exceptions are introduced near the voting date, and the final list structure remains open to internal legal disputes. This diminishes the choices available to party members. The message is clear: while Likud members are trusted to uphold the party's democratic character, they are not fully trusted to determine its political identity.

The motives behind these actions remain unclear, though Ynet, citing a senior Likud source, suggests that Netanyahu is particularly worried about MK Tally Gotliv potentially securing a top-10 spot and influencing the list's public image. A broad national camp cannot be maintained if more and more preferred candidates are protected from competition.

Instead, the party must be rebuilt through leadership, persuasion, recruitment, and a clear political program. If Netanyahu believes that certain elements of the Likud have drifted towards extremism, personal attacks, or confrontation, he should address this openly and advocate for candidates embodying the national-liberal tradition he seeks to promote.

Correcting the outcome prematurely implies that the leadership has not effectively shaped the political culture of its movement. The Likud has historically distinguished itself from other Israeli parties by the significant role it grants to its membership in selecting Knesset candidates. However, this distinction should be upheld, especially considering the party's current status as the largest faction in the Knesset, with 32 seats, and its leadership of the government.

In Israel's closed-list electoral system, where voters select a party on Election Day and cannot modify its candidates or express preferences for individual candidates, the internal process largely determines which candidates will enter the Knesset. Thus, while Likud members will participate in the primary, their choices will hold less weight once Netanyahu's reserved candidates and the party's guaranteed slots are incorporated into the final list.

Despite the rules allowing such a scenario, it should not be portrayed as an undiminished exercise in internal democracy. Likud members should be permitted to make genuine choices, even those that Netanyahu or other senior officials may disagree with. This uncertainty is not a flaw in a democratic process; rather, it is the reason for holding one.

Given the Likud's size and influence, it has a responsibility to maintain serious institutions, established rules, and a democratic culture that extends beyond its rhetoric. It is now time for the Likud to restore its internal order.