Benjamin Netanyahu agrees to December 22 Likud leadership race

Likud central committee meeting postponed

By GIL HOFFMAN
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a cabinet meeting, December 2019. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a cabinet meeting, December 2019.
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized on Wednesday to hold a Likud leadership race on Sunday, December 22, 11 days after the Knesset would be dispersed if no government is formed, Channel 12 reported.
A Likud spokesman said he would not confirm the report, calling it premature.
Two weeks ago, Netanyahu agreed to hold a race within six weeks, but he did not set a date until Wednesday.
Likud leadership candidate Gideon Sa’ar had hoped to hold the race by the deadline to form a government, in hopes of winning the race and preventing a third election in under a year.
But a Likud central committee meeting that was initially set for Thursday that was supposed to approve the leadership race will instead convene on Sunday and deal only with a much less controversial issue.
The central committee will vote only on canceling a primary for the Likud’s Knesset list if the parliament is dispersed Wednesday night.
“A decision on primaries for head of the Likud will be made later, if we end up getting dragged to elections,” a Likud spokesman said.
In an interview before the decision was announced, Sa’ar told Channel 13 that he is very worried that the Likud could lose the next general election.
A spokesman for Sa’ar said Netanyahu made the decision on the date with Likud central committee chairman Haim Katz and not with Sa’ar.