Netanyahu has met with Tzvi Cohen, the Likud's Election Committee chairman, who approved the initiative. It involves a change to the party's constitution that would ban anyone with a criminal record and a jail sentence of at least three months from running for Knesset.
The change would take at least two weeks, and therefore Netanyahu is also willing to postpone, for another week, the primaries in which the party's Knesset candidates will be chosen. A Central Committee vote will be held on the matter on Jan. 5. To facilitate this, the primaries will be pushed off from Jan. 3 to Jan. 9.
In Nov. 1997, Feiglin - as leader of the anti-Oslo Zo Artzeinu (This is Our Land) organization - was sentenced to six months in prison, which he was permitted to convert to six months of public service. He had been convicted two months earlier of "sedition" for organizing massive road blockades in the framework of anti-Oslo protests in 1994. In handing down the sentence, the judges said that the government should learn from this affair to be more attuned to the opinions of large sectors of the society. They said that the defendants carried out a "sincere protest" in pure faith, and that they represented the opinion of many who felt that the government was purposely ignoring them.
Some Likud MKs who supported Netanyahu against Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom in the recent party leadership race are reported to be "unenthusiastic" about his latest move. They have not come out publicly, however.
MK Ehud Yatom, asked his opinion on Netanyahu's move, said, "I think the Likud should behave according to the law." Asked to elaborate, he said he has no obligation to do so.
MK Michael Ratzon, who was also contacted this morning by Arutz-7, said, "I spoke to Netanyahu this morning, and he said nothing about this... I don't think it is the right thing to do; there are people to the left of him - should they be thrown out as well? ... I don't think it will happen."
Another potential candidate who would be affected by Netanyahu's bid is Shlomi Oz, a supporter of Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Kadima MK Omri Sharon, the Prime Minister's son. Oz was sent to prison in 1989 for 14 months on charges related to counterfeiting, debt collection and the like.
If Netanyahu succeeds, Feiglin will be prevented from running for the Knesset in the Likud.
Feiglin was not allowed to run in the last Knesset election, by Supreme Court order. In January 2003, the Court sustained the Election Commission's ruling to disqualify him, claiming that his conviction on charges of "sedition" - for organizing road-block protests of the Oslo Accords - was a crime involving "moral turpitude." Israeli law states that conviction of such a crime makes one ineligible to run for Knesset for seven years. At the time, Feiglin's lawyer, Haggai Yekutiel, said that the ruling was a "blow against democracy," as thousands of people had registered with the Likud party for the express purpose of voting for Feiglin, and that the decision "prevents these citizens from voting for their chosen candidate."
Manhigut Yehudit (Jewish Leadership), the Likud faction headed by Feiglin, is considering a petition to the Supreme Court to stop Netanyahu from banning Feiglin. Another possibility is to field another Manhigut candidate for Knesset; Feiglin has frequently said that he need not be his organization's highest-placed representative.
The change would take at least two weeks, and therefore Netanyahu is also willing to postpone, for another week, the primaries in which the party's Knesset candidates will be chosen. A Central Committee vote will be held on the matter on Jan. 5. To facilitate this, the primaries will be pushed off from Jan. 3 to Jan. 9.
In Nov. 1997, Feiglin - as leader of the anti-Oslo Zo Artzeinu (This is Our Land) organization - was sentenced to six months in prison, which he was permitted to convert to six months of public service. He had been convicted two months earlier of "sedition" for organizing massive road blockades in the framework of anti-Oslo protests in 1994. In handing down the sentence, the judges said that the government should learn from this affair to be more attuned to the opinions of large sectors of the society. They said that the defendants carried out a "sincere protest" in pure faith, and that they represented the opinion of many who felt that the government was purposely ignoring them.
Some Likud MKs who supported Netanyahu against Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom in the recent party leadership race are reported to be "unenthusiastic" about his latest move. They have not come out publicly, however.
MK Ehud Yatom, asked his opinion on Netanyahu's move, said, "I think the Likud should behave according to the law." Asked to elaborate, he said he has no obligation to do so.
MK Michael Ratzon, who was also contacted this morning by Arutz-7, said, "I spoke to Netanyahu this morning, and he said nothing about this... I don't think it is the right thing to do; there are people to the left of him - should they be thrown out as well? ... I don't think it will happen."
Another potential candidate who would be affected by Netanyahu's bid is Shlomi Oz, a supporter of Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Kadima MK Omri Sharon, the Prime Minister's son. Oz was sent to prison in 1989 for 14 months on charges related to counterfeiting, debt collection and the like.
If Netanyahu succeeds, Feiglin will be prevented from running for the Knesset in the Likud.
Feiglin was not allowed to run in the last Knesset election, by Supreme Court order. In January 2003, the Court sustained the Election Commission's ruling to disqualify him, claiming that his conviction on charges of "sedition" - for organizing road-block protests of the Oslo Accords - was a crime involving "moral turpitude." Israeli law states that conviction of such a crime makes one ineligible to run for Knesset for seven years. At the time, Feiglin's lawyer, Haggai Yekutiel, said that the ruling was a "blow against democracy," as thousands of people had registered with the Likud party for the express purpose of voting for Feiglin, and that the decision "prevents these citizens from voting for their chosen candidate."
Manhigut Yehudit (Jewish Leadership), the Likud faction headed by Feiglin, is considering a petition to the Supreme Court to stop Netanyahu from banning Feiglin. Another possibility is to field another Manhigut candidate for Knesset; Feiglin has frequently said that he need not be his organization's highest-placed representative.