How Likud insiders escape accountability for destructive primary battle tactics

Senior figures within Israel’s ruling Likud party appear to operate under an unspoken protection from scrutiny, with their most damaging conduct during internal party elections effectively shielded from public accountability. The behaviour of figures like Israel Katz, the party’s foreign minister, during the gruelling primary race illustrates how internal party competition enables senior politicians to cause significant harm without meaningful consequences. The damage inflicted by such individuals extends across three critical phases: the preparation for primaries, the elections themselves, and the aftermath—yet each stage appears insulated from normal standards of political accountability. This dynamic has raised questions about whether high-ranking Likud members are effectively exempt from the consequences that might constrain other politicians’ conduct. The primary system, originally designed to democratise party selection, has instead created a space where establishment figures can engage in destructive tactics under the guise of competitive necessity, with their seniority and party position serving as a buffer against reputational damage or electoral punishment.

Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.