Netanyahu: Last thing Israel needs is an election

Top Likud official attempts to thwart prime
minister's moves towards early election, announcing Likud central committee
will not convene.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose birthday was Tuesday, said
"the last thing Israel needs is an elections now." He made the
comments amid reports he was hoping to hold early elections in May, a move that
was expected to be preceded by primaries within his ruling Likud party.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to prevent Netanyahu from conducting
the primaries, the Likud central committee will not convene next week, the
faction's chairman, MK Danny Dannon, announced Tuesday.
“I will not let the Likud elections be kidnapped by opportunism,”
said Dannon, who is expected to compete in the primaries along with Moshe
Feiglin against Netanyahu. "I will propose the movement set a date for a
reasonable and fair primary elections that respects the ruling party.”

Dannon added, “The Likud is in a revival process, I will not let the
party be silenced again nor will I let the democracy of the Likud, Israel’s
largest democratic party, be harmed."
It was reported Monday that Netanyahu could be preparing for general
elections in the spring and is planning on holding an early primaries for the
Likud leadership on November 25th. Senior sources in the coalition say the
primaries are the first part of a wider plan to go for an early elections, and
some anticipate the general vote for the Knesset be held sometime during May,
by which time Netanyahu will strengthen his alliances with the religious
factions and the Bayit Yehudi party led by Naftali Bennett.
Netanyahu’s associates confirmed earlier that the prime minister is in
fact attempting to hold rushed elections for the party’s leadership. “Given the
fact that the candidates are well known within the party, the right thing to do
is to decide as soon as possible who will be the leader rather than create a
long and unnecessary struggle within party ranks, especially taking into
account that the majority of other parties have already chosen their leaders or
have decided not to hold primaries at all.”
Labor Party and Opposition Chairman MK Isaac Herzog responded to
Netanyahu’s impending move and told Ynet, “As citizens of Israel are being
crushed by the cost of living and housing, Netanyahu is concerned solely with
his personal survival. No political maneuvers can hide the failure of the Prime
Minister in the socio-economic arena and amid this political hit. The Israeli
public is not a fool nor are they sitting in Netanyahu’s pocket as he
believes.”

On the other hand, Education Minister Shai Piron addressed the reports in an
interview at the Ynet studio and said, “We have a saying here that the day the
Temple was destroyed, prophecy was taken from prophets and given to fools. The
crisis mentioned is a mere figment of the imagination. The current government
of Israel will continue to function as long as possible, I hope. I believe in
this coalition.”
He added, “Every family has arguments, it is the nature of things,
even this crisis will be resolved.”
As part of his attempts to align himself with the religious faction,
Netanyahu announced that he would not pass a bill being backed
by MK Eliezer Stern of the Hatnua party that aims to ease the restrictions
required for conversion in Israel.