Netanyahu allies fare poorly as Likud Party holds primaries

JERUSALEM, Feb. 9 (JTA) — The results of the Likud primary for the party’s Knesset roster held more than a few surprises — many of them unpleasant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Some 2,370 members of the Likud Central Committee took part in Monday’s primary, which was held amid reported attempts to keep the premier’s critics off the party’s Knesset slate of candidates for the May elections. But those efforts may have backfired, as several Netanyahu allies fared worse than expected, prompting some Likud officials to call the results a slap in the face to the premier. Defense Minister Moshe Arens, whom Netanyahu had described prior to the primary as part of his “leading team,” ranked 26th in the party’s list of Knesset candidates, leaving it open to question whether he will win a place in the next Knesset. Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon dropped several slots to eighth place. Along with Arens, several other Netanyahu allies did not make it into the first 10 spots: Minister Without Portfolio Shaul Amor placed 21st, and Health Minister Yehoshua Matza took the 15th slot. At the same time, two Likud members who have been outspoken against the premier — Communications Minister Limor Livnat and Science Minister Silvan Shalom — won places in the first five slots. Shalom came in second on the roster, and Tourism Minister Moshe Katsav took the third slot. Livnat, said to have been among those targeted for defeat by Netanyahu prior to the voting, came in fourth. As the party’s leader, Netanyahu won the top position. Coalition leader Meir Sheetrit rounded out the top five. Former Cabinet Secretary Danny Naveh took the 11th slot. Netanyahu described the final results as an “excellent list.” He attributed Arens’ poor showing to the fact that he had joined the race only recently.