Netanyahu Mulls Snap Likud Leadership Primary

Photo Credit: Yonatan Sindel / Flash 90

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly making plans to hold a snap internal election – soon — for the chairmanship of the Likud party, due to what appears to be a deterioration in the membership’s faith in his leadership.

But if he chooses to launch that election, Netanyahu will have to face the first real challenge to his leadership in at least a decade from senior party member Gideon Sa’ar, according to a report published on the Globes business news site.

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Sa’ar is reportedly hoping for the chance to become the candidate who will seize the opportunity to form a government after everyone else who received the mandate from President Reuven Rivlin has failed to do so.

Once both major candidates have returned that mandate to the president, he can then pass it on to the Knesset, which can recommend a candidate who has the support of 61 Knesset members.

It’s still not clear whether in fact Netanyahu will actually go ahead and recommend leadership elections to the party’s central committee, the body authorized to approve the move.