Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Israel's Embattled Netanyahu Declares Victory in Primary
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
December 26, 2019

Share

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared victory early Friday in his primary election battle for leadership of the Likud party, as TV stations predicted a landslide win for the longtime Israeli leader.
The apparent victory means that Netanyahu will lead Likud into March elections, the country’s third election in less than a year. He is also likely to seize on the victory as he battles criminal corruption charges.
“A giant victory,” Netanyahu tweeted, just over an hour after polls closed.
“Thanks to the members of Likud for the trust, support and love,” he said. “God willing, I will lead Likud to a big victory in the coming elections.”
Partial results reported by Israeli TV stations showed Netanyahu capturing between 70% and 80% of the vote, trouncing his challenger, lawmaker Gideon Saar.
Official results were expected later Friday.


THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. An earlier story follows:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday faced the first serious internal challenge to his decade-long rule as his party held a primary vote following his failure to form a government and his indictment on corruption charges.

“For years, I have been working for you for the sake of our beloved country. Now I am asking for your support. A big victory for me in the primaries will ensure a huge victory in the Knesset elections.” — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Veteran Likud party member Gideon Saar hoped to unseat Netanyahu, telling voters he would be better placed to form a government after national elections in March.
Despite the indictment, Netanyahu remains popular among Likud members, and the fiercely loyal party — which has only had four leaders since its inception in the 1970s — stood firmly behind the long-serving leader. He was expected to defeat Saar, and a win could strengthen his hand going into the next national vote.
“For years, I have been working for you for the sake of our beloved country. Now I am asking for your support,” Netanyahu wrote on Facebook. ”A big victory for me in the primaries will ensure a huge victory in the Knesset elections.”
Saar, who has garnered support from a handful of Likud backbenchers, had surged in the lead-up to the vote, and he could benefit from cold, rainy weather that appeared to hold down turnout. If he wins, he would become Likud’s candidate for prime minister in March.
“We can win today, to set forth on a new path that will allow us to form a strong and stable government, that will allow us to unite the people of Israel, which is probably the most important thing right now,” Saar told reporters.

Netanyahu Faces Charges of Bribery, Fraud and Breach of Trust

Netanyahu has portrayed Saar as inexperienced, while depicting himself as a master of international diplomacy and a scourge to Israel’s enemies.
In what was seen as an embarrassment at a critical moment, Netanyahu was rushed off stage Wednesday after a rocket fired from Gaza set off an air raid siren at a campaign rally in the southern city of Ashkelon. Israel responded with a wave of airstrikes early Thursday. There were no reports of casualties or major damage.
A similar incident happened in September, when Netanyahu was in the nearby city of Ashdod campaigning for the second general Israeli election of the year.
Polls closed at 11 p.m. (9 p.m. GMT), and results were expected early Friday. Just under 50% of 116,000 eligible voters cast ballots, with many apparently deterred by the weather.
Israeli media predicted a Netanyahu landslide. Channel 12, a major television station, said initial results showed a “significant gap” between the candidates.
Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three corruption cases. He is accused of trading legislative or regulatory favors for lavish gifts or favorable media coverage. He denies wrongdoing and has waged an angry campaign against the media and law enforcement officials he says are bent on ousting him. His supporters have tried to paint Saar as part of the same conspiracy.
The indictments came amid months of political deadlock in Israel after two inconclusive elections.

Photo of posters of Gideon Saar
A Likud party member sits by a poster of veteran politician Gideon Saar from the governing Likud Party at a voting center in the northern Israeli city of Hadera, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. Israel’s governing Likud party was holding primaries on Thursday, in the first serious internal challenge to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his more than a decade in power. Saar hopes to unseat Netanyahu, arguing that he will be better placed to form a government in national elections in March after Netanyahu failed to do so in two repeat elections this year. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Saar Said He Was Best Positioned to Lead Likud to Victory

Netanyahu’s main rival, former military chief Benny Gantz, was also unable to form a government after the September vote. While the two professed eagerness to form a unity government, they differed on its composition and who would lead it, deepening the stalemate.
Recent polls showed that with Saar as leader, Likud would make a more powerful bloc with its natural ultra-Orthodox and nationalist allies. Saar would also be in an easier position to create a national unity government with Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party if, as expected, the March election produces a deadlock.
Speaking on television, Saar said he was best positioned to lead Likud to victory. He described Blue and White as a “balloon” comprised of various factions unified by the sole goal of toppling Netanyahu. If Netanyahu goes, he said, a good chunk of Blue and White’s supporters would return to Likud. “If I win today, we will also win on March 2,” he said.
Whatever the results are, said Avraham Diskin, a political scientist at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the primary “definitely strengthens Saar unless he is humiliated in the elections today, and that’s not very likely to happen.”
Netanyahu hopes that the coming election will deliver him a majority of lawmakers in favor of granting him immunity from prosecution. But if Saar leads the party into the new election, Netanyahu would lose that option.

Netanyahu Has Trumpeted His Close Ties to U.S. President Donald Trump

Even if Netanyahu wins the primary, his political future would remain in doubt. The Supreme Court is set next week to begin considering the question of whether an indicted member of parliament can be tasked with forming a new government. It’s not clear when a ruling would be handed down.

Netanyahu has trumpeted his close ties to U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders. He has also presented himself as the best candidate to protect Israel, pointing to a wave of recent military operations against Iran-linked targets across the region.
In recent days, Netanyahu has appeared rejuvenated, holding campaign events in which he has met with Likud members face to face, often in small gatherings.
Netanyahu has trumpeted his close ties to U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders. He has also presented himself as the best candidate to protect Israel, pointing to a wave of recent military operations against Iran-linked targets across the region.
On Thursday, Netanyahu’s office said he spoke to Putin to again request the release of an Israeli woman who was arrested on drug charges while traveling through Moscow earlier this year. They also discussed Iran and Syria.
The prolonged political uncertainty in Israel led the Trump administration to delay the release of its long-anticipated Mideast peace plan, which the Palestinians have already rejected over what they view as the administration’s unfair bias toward Israel.
Netanyahu has said Israel is on the cusp of gaining U.S. support for the annexation of large parts of the occupied West Bank. Such a move would likely extinguish any hope of creating a Palestinian state but would cement Netanyahu’s legacy as a transformative leader.
[activecampaign form=29]

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

DON'T MISS

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

DON'T MISS

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

DON'T MISS

Judge Partly Blocks Trump Order Seeking to Overhaul US Elections

DON'T MISS

Two From Search Group That Uncovered Mexico’s ‘Ranch of Horror’ Killed

DON'T MISS

US Warns States They Could Lose Transportation Funding Over Immigration, DEI Policies

DON'T MISS

Don’t Miss Out! Tower District’s Porchfest Festival Is Saturday

DON'T MISS

Shooter in 2022 Chicago-Area Parade Massacre Sentenced to Life in Prison

DON'T MISS

Fresno Stabbing Leaves Son Dead, Father Charged With Murder

DON'T MISS

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Reinstate Transgender Military Ban, for Now

UP NEXT

Chicago Bears Great Steve McMichael Dies at 67 After Battle With ALS

UP NEXT

Long Wait Is Over for Cam Ward, Travis Hunter and Other Draft Prospects Joining the NFL

UP NEXT

Golden State’s Jimmy Butler Injured in Game 2 Loss, His Status for Game 3 Unknown

UP NEXT

Jalen Green Makes Eight 3s to Help Rockets Even Series With Warriors

UP NEXT

Israeli Fire Kills at Least 44 People in Gaza, Hits a Police Station

UP NEXT

Trump Tells Putin to ‘STOP’ After Russian Attacks Kills 10 in Kyiv

UP NEXT

US Justice Department Directs Investigations Over Gender-Affirming Care

UP NEXT

Earthquake of Magnitude 6.02 Strikes Turkey, GFZ Says

UP NEXT

US Justice Department Cancels Hundreds of Grants for Police, Crime Victims

UP NEXT

Yelich’s 5th Career Slam and Bauers’ 2-Run Homer Power the Brewers to Win Over the Giants

Judge Partly Blocks Trump Order Seeking to Overhaul US Elections

2 hours ago

Two From Search Group That Uncovered Mexico’s ‘Ranch of Horror’ Killed

2 hours ago

US Warns States They Could Lose Transportation Funding Over Immigration, DEI Policies

2 hours ago

Don’t Miss Out! Tower District’s Porchfest Festival Is Saturday

2 hours ago

Shooter in 2022 Chicago-Area Parade Massacre Sentenced to Life in Prison

2 hours ago

Fresno Stabbing Leaves Son Dead, Father Charged With Murder

3 hours ago

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Reinstate Transgender Military Ban, for Now

3 hours ago

California Judge Blocks Trump’s Bid to Cut Funds to ‘Sanctuary’ Cities

3 hours ago

Town Hall on Trump’s First 100 Days Will Air Next Week

3 hours ago

Kristi Noem’s Handbag Was Snatched From Beneath Her Chair, DHS Says

4 hours ago

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

Cute petite Candi was a shy kitten who blossomed into a friendly, outgoing, and confidant adult. She came to us with three siblings after an...

12 minutes ago

Candi, GV Wire's Adoptable Cat of the Week
12 minutes ago

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

16 minutes ago

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

Maxwell Barrios, 28, of Tulare, was sentenced to over four years in state prison on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, for a 2023 DUI crash that seriously injured two women, including one who required a partial arm amputation. (Tulare County DA)
1 hour ago

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

People vote in the 2024 U.S. presidential election on Election Day in Columbus, Ohio, U.S., November 5, 2024. (REUTERS/Megan Jelinger/File Photo)
2 hours ago

Judge Partly Blocks Trump Order Seeking to Overhaul US Elections

Forensic technicians stand at a cordoned area during a media tour by Jalisco's Attorney General Office at Izaguirre Ranch, which activists have called a cartel-run "extermination camp," in Teuchitlan, Jalisco state, Mexico March 20, 2025. (REUTERS/Ivan Arias/File Photo)
2 hours ago

Two From Search Group That Uncovered Mexico’s ‘Ranch of Horror’ Killed

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks to reporters about Wednesday's deadly midair collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Eagle flight 5342 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2025. (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo)
2 hours ago

US Warns States They Could Lose Transportation Funding Over Immigration, DEI Policies

2 hours ago

Don’t Miss Out! Tower District’s Porchfest Festival Is Saturday

Robert E. Crimo III. arrives for his trial in Judge Victoria A. Rossetti’s courtroom in Waukegan, Illinois, U.S., March 3, 2025. (Nam Y. Huh/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo)
2 hours ago

Shooter in 2022 Chicago-Area Parade Massacre Sentenced to Life in Prison

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend