Deputy Defense Minister Danon can now convene Likud central c’tee for votes on key issues PM opposes, including opposing territorial concessions.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s political future suffered a major blow Monday when the Tel Aviv District Court ruled that theLikud’s institutions can vote to take key powers away from him.
The Likud’s law committee had ruled that the power to convene the party’s central committee could be taken away from the party leader and given to the head of the central committee, hawkish Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon. When an internal Likud court overruled the law committee, Danon took Netanyahu to the external court.
Judge Dafna Avnieli ruled in Danon’s favor and forced Netanyahu’s lawyers, who work for the party, to pay Danon NIS 40,000 in legal bills. In her ruling, she criticized Netanyahu for trying to paralyze the party’s institutions.
The significance of the ruling is that Danon will now be able to convene the central committee next month for votes on key issues Netanyahu opposes, including opposing territorial concessions and preventing a merger with Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman’sYisrael Beytenu party.
“We proved the party is democratic,” Danon said after the ruling. “We will make sure the largest party in the Knesset remains loyal to its values.”
Following the court ruling, Netanyahu said he intends to appeal the decision.
I remain in contact with many of my former associates in the likud central committee.
Regardless of how will the Netanyahu handlers respond to the blow, the fact is that his standing in theLikud is very poor to say the least. His support from the captive media and the usual MAPAM-MAPAI and Islamic groups will not avail him either.
Netanyahu was dumped midway on his first term and today is even less of a trusted leader than then.
But how is it that a district court could even accept original jurisdiction over such a matter in the first place?
— Why was this not a matter for the High Court right from the jump?
@Arnold Harris
“Only a game changer if it is upheld by the Israel Supreme Court.”
Three of the 9 justices on the US Supreme Court are Jewish and leftists of the first order. The other 6 are Roman Catholic, and 3 of them can be counted on to gove conservative votes whenever the court makes rulings.
@ ArnoldHarris:
Given the fact the Arabs have said “no” there is nothing to give away. Netanyahu has two interests: avoiding an open conflict with Obama and staying in power. And he will do whatever he thinks will allow him to continue sitting in the Prime Minister’s Office.
@ yamit82:
His lawyers can appeal but the fact of the matter is Netanyahu has no real following in his own party.
It may not matter much since the Palestinian Arabs won’t make peace even on Netanyahu’s terms.
Ted, this lower court ruling is only a game-changer if it is upheld by the Israel supreme court. They are known by their particular leftist leanings.
A long-term effect is that the end of Netanyahu’s control over the Likud sooner rather than later. It is difficult to say how much real support Netanyahu will get from the party he has long dominated.
But the real question is whether or not his own fellow Likudnikim can stop him from caving in to Kerry’s shabby and faked up surrender to the Arab nation enemy masquerading as a deal for some sort of future peace.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
@ bernard ross:
Appeal could delay a decision for a year or more.
I expect he will appeal to the leftist supreme court.
I count this as unexpected good news and long overdue.