Story perspectives

Netanyahu’s Likud Wins Primaries, Secures Right-Wing Majority

8/19/2026

Center

Likud Holds Primary

The Likud party held primary elections on Monday, August 17, 2026, at polling stations across Israel to rank candidates for the upcoming Knesset election.
Party officials said the primaries showcased democracy, stressing Netanyahu’s slots, while critics such as David Bitan finished near the bottom, showing low tolerance for dissent.
Energy Minister Eli Cohen placed first on the Likud list.
Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi defended the reserved slots as democratic.

Right

Netanyahu Blocks Coalition

Likud party held primary elections on Monday, August 17, 2026, at polling stations across Israel to rank candidates for the upcoming Knesset election.
Netanyahu said the primary results will block a left-wing coalition and expressed strong satisfaction with the outcome.
Likud reported 76,068 members voted, a 53% turnout.
Post-primary polls placed Likud first with 31-32 seats, giving the right-wing bloc a majority.

Blindspot

Likud reported that 76,068 party members voted in the primary, a 53 % turnout.
Post-primary polls projected Likud to win 31-32 seats, giving the right-wing bloc a majority over the opposition.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Right-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Center-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

In 1977 Menachem Begin’s Likud broke three decades of Alignment rule, winning 43 Knesset seats and forming a narrow 61-member coalition that shifted power to Mizrahi and religious voters. The party’s internal primaries later became decisive, as shown by the August 2026 Likud vote where 76,068 members turned out at 53 % to reaffirm Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership, echoing the 1977 transformation.

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Likud Holds Primary

The Likud party held primary elections on Monday, August 17, 2026, at polling stations across Israel to rank candidates for the upcoming Knesset election.
Party officials said the primaries showcased democracy, stressing Netanyahu’s slots, while critics such as David Bitan finished near the bottom, showing low tolerance for dissent.
Energy Minister Eli Cohen placed first on the Likud list.
Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi defended the reserved slots as democratic.

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