Moshe Feiglin
Moshe FeiglinFlash 90

Moshe Feiglin announced he would not contend for the top spot on the Likud Knesset list - the one that could make him candidate for Prime Minister if Likud forms the next government - due to procedural changes in the Likud primaries.

On Wednesday, an internal Likud panel ruled that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu could “reunite” the party's primaries, holding the election for the Knesset list and the election for the Likud's top slot on the same day, instead of separately as many MKs wanted.

After a ruling by the party Monday, that latter election was set for December 31. An internal Likud panel confirmed the decision Wednesday.

In a statement, Feiglin said that the move is “a change in the rules of the game, and I was thus forced to take on two candidacies at the same time, an impossible task. I do not intend to force the party into another round of legal wrangling just weeks before the elections."

“During these crucial times we must unite and ensure that the Likud remains the party that will form the next government,” Feiglin added.

“As such, I plan to contend only for a Knesset seat at this time. I am sure I will receive wide support from party membership and the national camp. In future primaries I will run for leadership of the party.”

With that, MK Danny Danon said that he still intended to run for the party's leadership.

“On December 31, Likud members will meet and decide if the movement will return to its place of leadership - of the right, of values, of democratic tradition. These are the things that differentiate the Likud from other parties,” he added.