Senior Likud figure Edelstein quits party, signals new political direction

Yuli Edelstein, a long-serving senior member of Israel’s ruling Likud party and former Knesset speaker, has announced he will not stand in the party’s primary elections, effectively ending his tenure within the movement. The announcement marks a significant political rupture for one of the party’s most prominent figures. Edelstein described the decision as “very difficult to make” but indicated he is moving towards a new political path, without immediately specifying his next steps. The departure represents a notable blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, removing one of the party’s most experienced political operators from its ranks. Edelstein’s exit comes approximately a year after Netanyahu removed him from his position as chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, reportedly in response to his refusal to support legislation that would have exempted ultra-Orthodox Jewish conscripts from mandatory military service. The clash over the conscription issue highlighted growing tensions within Likud over how to manage relations with the ultra-Orthodox parties that form a crucial part of the current governing coalition. Political observers suggest Edelstein’s departure could reshape the Likud’s internal balance of power and may signal the formation of a new political grouping, though no formal announcement has been made regarding his future political home.

Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.