Economy Minister Nir Barkat is reportedly planning to run against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Likud's next primaries, Kan reported on Monday night.
The former Jerusalem mayor has met with Likud activists and told them that he would not support Netanyahu again and that the party needed to see a change.
"After the war, we need to turn to the people and regain their trust," he told them, adding that Netanyahu is "nearing his end".
Barkat refused to confirm that he was running a campaign to stand against Netanyahu.
"I don't intend on cooperating with political people who are trying to get between the prime minister and me," he told Kan. "It's no secret that I have substantive and professional criticism regarding the budget, but I believe it can be solved for the benefit of the people of Israel."
Barkat set himself apart from Likud
The minister has set himself apart from the Likud in the last week after he voted against the amended 2023 and 2024 budget in a cabinet meeting and was absent from its first reading in the Knesset on Sunday.
He has also been contentious with the Finance Ministry's financial plans throughout the war, introducing his own competing aid plan for businesses affected by October 7 and the war. The eventual plan that passed was a combination of both plans.
When the amended budget was presented to the government ministers for a vote, Barkat once again criticized the plan, saying that it was damaging to Israel's economy and voting against it. He also threatened to vote against it in the Knesset, which would have been considered a taboo move as coalition members are usually expected to vote according to coalition opinions. Instead, Barkat did not attend the vote.
He is not alone in the Likud to oppose the amended budget, as more Likud MKs expressed opposition to it in the Finance Committee on Monday where the bill was being prepared for its second and third readings. During the dramatic meeting, MKs Eli Dalal and Eliyahu Revivo threatened to vote against the bill but ultimately voted for it after getting the commitments they wanted from the Finance Ministry.