Benjamin Netanyahu has won the Likud primary with 47% of the vote, beating out rival Silvan Shalom for the leadership of a party that suddenly finds itself in third place.
When Netanyahu visualized the circumstances under which he’d regain leadership of Likud, somehow I don’t think that’s quite what he had in mind.
Still, he will lead a party that is the voice of Israelis who felt betrayed by Sharon’s disengagement plan or who believe that Sharon led Israel down the wrong path. Unfortunately for Netanyahu, they aren’t in the majority. And come March, in all likelihood, he will find himself in a situation that is nominally different but factually familiar: the opposition. Only this time, it will be from without instead of from within.
Still, he will lead a party that is the voice of Israelis who felt betrayed by Sharon’s disengagement plan or who believe that Sharon led Israel down the wrong path.
Sari, please don’t fool yourself or your visitors. The Likud is not the voice or home to people who opposed Sharon’s plan. Netanyahu supported the disengagement, and so did the Shalom, Neveh, Livnat, Katz, etc…
The Likud is currently destroyed party which has betrayed it’s own Jabotinsky constitution. It allowed Sharon to rape it, and frankly, it will join a coalition with him if he wins the elections with ‘Kadima’ not be in the opposition.
Another thing,
Instead of Bibi berating Sharon and his expulsion plan, he blurted today is that he ‘too’ has signed agreements (Wye/Hebron). Likud is Kadima II, nothing more.
If someone opposed the disengagement plan votes Likud, then s/he should be aware that the Likud will be the first in line to support ‘disengagement II’ from the Jordan Valley in the near future.