While the battle for top positions on the Likud's Knesset list lingers on, the party's head is set and in adamant fashion.
At a press conference in Metsudat Ze'ev, Likud's headquarters in Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Binyamin gave his victory speech, having successfully defeated his sole opponent, MK Danny Danon.
Netanyahu opened by acknowledging and thanking the people who had campaigned for him and the voters who chose him.
Continuing, he began to address the Likud list, just starting to emerge.
"We have proved to the citizens of Israel that the democracy of Likud is much stronger than the dictatorship of populist parties that fall like mushrooms after rainfall," Netanyahu declaimed.
"We have chosen a wonderful, balanced, and experienced list for [Israel's current] ruling party," Netanyahu stated, "which will continue to lead the State of Israel."
Concluding his remarkably short speech, Netanyahu added that "this is the best list of all the parties. It will help us defeat the Left led by [Labor Chairman Yitzhak] Buji Herzog and [Tzipi] Livni."
About an hour after polls closed, it was already clear that Netanyahu had defeated Danon by a landslide of 80% to 20%.
Danon quickly conceded defeat to Netanyahu and offered the Prime Minister his congratulations.
“From the emerging results, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu won the election,” Danon said in a statement. "I congratulate the Prime Minister and wish him well. We will work together to bring the Likud to a victory in the general election."
"I'm going to call the Prime Minister, congratulate him on his victory, and starting tomorrow we will work hard so the Likud will form a nationalist government without Livni and Herzog," said Danon.
Meanwhile, after 55% of Likud Central Committee members voted Wednesday, Likud hopefuls wait anxiously Thursday for the final results to be announced - likely in the next few hours.
Of particular interest is who will inherit the place of outgoing Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat, becoming the new leading woman of Likud.
As of 2 p.m., about 70% of the votes had been counted. The likely top ten of Likud's Knesset list stand as follows:
- Binyamin Netanyahu
- Gilad Erdan
- Yuli Edelstein
- Yisrael Katz
- Miri Regev
- Silvan Shalom
- Moshe Ya'alon
- Yariv Levin
- Ze'ev Elkin
- Gila Gamliel