Likud holds dramatic meeting
Tension rises between Netanyahu supporters and ‘rebels’ camp led by Silvan Shalom, who want party leader ousted
The Likud party held a dramatic meeting Friday morning in Tel Aviv in the shadow of a rising tension between supporters of leader Benjamin Netanyahu and Silvan Shalom and calls to unseat Netanyahu.
Netanyahu supporters held placards reading ‘Enough to Sabotage’, and condemned Shalom and former Likud ministers whom they accused of having declared a rebellion against their leader.
Shalom supporters said they had asked party Chairman Gideon Saar to prevent provocations from Netanyahu supporters. They said they were promised that Netanyahu will not organize his people. On Friday Shalom supporters said “Netanyahu did an organized ambush for Shalom.”
Soon after the elections Ynet reported that four senior Likud members are determined to put an end to the political future of Netanyahu: Former Likud ministers Silvan Shalom, Limor Livnat, Danny Naveh, and Yisrael Katz chose not to show up Tuesday night at party headquarters to hear their leader's conceding speech following Likud's poor showing in Knesset elections.
All four practically became a new faction of "rebels" with one cause – to send their leader home and to hold primaries in what remained of the Likud party.
One of the four told Ynet on Wednesday: "Bibi has to go home. It's clear as daylight. We prefer that he would get it and leave on good terms. If not on good terms, than he will have to leave on bad terms. After he caused us such a crash he has no other option."
