A few comments on the sidelines of the Likud primaries, which will be held this coming Monday.
1.
Even according to the generous polls, the list is smaller than it should be for all the candidates, and quite a few MKs are about to find themselves off the list, while being forced to face the dilemma of their lives: whether to remain with the title of 'former MK/minister', but still be part of the Likud party, or jump on another bandwagon (Erden, for example) while airing their dirty laundry to the media, and covering up their return to the Likud fold.
Their fools' consolation will be "Gideon Sa'ar also went to hell and came back." So first of all, not everyone is guaranteed miracles. Beyond that, don't compare his status before the defection to his status today. It's not certain that in moments of truth, between himself, he doesn't deeply regret that internal confrontation against Netanyahu (which began with the words "I'm ready"), which led to a hostile attitude toward him from the boss, which led to his abandonment in favor of establishing a new party and interviews against Netanyahu.
2.
Moti Castel, the political correspondent for Channel 14, published the news about the attempted coup against Netanyahu about two years ago, in the days after October 7th. But even a scoop needs luck - and a scoop didn't have much luck then. He didn't catch it.
This week, Amit Segal and Channel 12 succeeded with him. Minister Nir Barkat suffered a targeted assassination, perhaps the most difficult 'attack' of his political life, and now he is forced to pick up the pieces from the floor.
If he manages to make it onto the Likud list, it will probably be in a disrespectful place, perhaps even one that will humiliate someone who saw himself, at least in his mind's eye, occupying the position of the next Likud chairman, if not a future prime minister.
For Channel 12, it was sweet revenge against those who established the 'claims fund.' For those who leaked the information, it was surely painful revenge against those who threatened the position of the beloved prime minister. Everyone, apparently, left satisfied, and Nir Barkat was left with nothing but to weep over his fate.
Because no matter how many achievements you had in the Ministry of Economy, if you were labeled by the Likud as not loyal to 'our Bibi', it was up to you.
3.
Netanyahu's coveted list of armories is starting to look, for now, like a hot air balloon. Businessman and high-tech man Oren Dobrunsky is receiving a lot of criticism from within the Likud, and as far as is known, shiny names who have been approached have not responded (Kahlon, Haim Bibs, and more). So let's see how the magician Netanyahu manages to make the list shiny.
Meanwhile, he has already paid the price in the form of angry MKs/ministers who have already begun to squint to the side. As if that was all he needed after the defection of Edelstein and Erdan.
4.
In the background, pollsters predicting Netanyahu's victory in the elections versus pollsters predicting a glorious failure.
On the ground, he is received with loud applause and admiration (at least in friendly places like the promenade in Bat Yam or a mall in Jerusalem). But with requests for selfies, they don't really go to the polls.
The election campaign is starting to pick up. It will be interesting, rest assured.
