Danon’s power in Likud cental committee likely to increase

This week’s convention to vote on letting deputy defense minister call meetings on ‘ideological matters’ several times this year.

By LAHAV HARKOV
Danny Danon voting at Likud elections 370 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post)
Danny Danon voting at Likud elections 370
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post)
Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon could receive key powers as head of the Likud central committee Wednesday, including calling votes on matters of diplomacy and security, if votes go his way at the party’s convention.
Likud released the agenda for its convention on Saturday night, two days after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu agreed to make concessions to Danon, who has turned into his most active adversary in the party, even taking the prime minister to the Supreme Court over the central committee’s power.
Netanyahu’s cooperation with Danon marked his second gesture to the Right within Likud in one day, as he also announced support for a bill by coalition chairman Yariv Levin (Likud Beytenu) to have a Basic Law declaring Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.
Both came shortly after the breakdown in talks with the Palestinians, which brought criticism from some to the Right in Likud, especially Danon.
On Wednesday, the committee is set to vote to allow Danon to call the central committee two to three times a year to vote on “ideological matters,” such as security, diplomacy and economics.
As such, Danon plans to call a meeting on diplomatic matters within 60 days and socioeconomic issues within 120, as well as a meeting on ways to strengthen the party and its institutions.
Another meeting will determine the way the party’s list for the Knesset is chosen.
Currently, the procedure is an open primary for all of the party’s members, but many central committee members would prefer to revert to the vote being limited only to them.
Sources close to Netanyahu said the matter is still under review in the party’s court.
In addition, the central committee will vote on whether to allow itself to change the Likud constitution by a simple majority vote. However, this will not apply if the party wants to unite with another party.
On Thursday, the central committee plans to vote on changes to the party’s constitution, including requiring the committee to be called at least once every six months.
Gil Hoffman contributed to this report.