Aides to Likud head Binyamin Netanyahu responded Monday to criticism from MK Silvan Shalom, who announced his withdrawal from the Likud primaries earlier in the day and accused Netanyahu of creating an unfair advantage for himself by advancing the primaries. “We always knew that Shalom doesn’t know how to win,” a message from Netanyahu’s office stated, “now we know that he also doesn’t know how to lose honorably.”
Netanyahu’s aides dismissed Shalom’s charges that the elections were unfair, calling them “miserable excuses.” Shalom had accused Netanyahu of behaving like Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. While he dropped out of the primaries, Shalom made it clear he had no intention to leave the Likud. “I was here before him,” Shalom said, referring to Netanyahu, “and I’ll stay in the Likud after him.”