Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is trying to recruit a female candidate for the Likud party list and is considering longtime Netanya mayor Miriam Feirberg, reports said Thursday.
Netanyahu’s efforts come amid criticism over the fact that only two women - Miri Regev and Gila Gamliel - were placed in realistic spots on the party’s list. Netanyahu has two spots on the list, 11 and 23, which are reserved for a candidate of his choice. The 23rd spot on the list is still realistic, according to a recent poll which gave the Likud 25 seats.
Channel 10 reported on Thursday evening that Netanyahu is trying to recruit Feirberg for this purpose and even offered her to serve as Welfare Minister in the next government. Feirberg headed the Social Services Division in Netanya for over a decade.
Feirberg wrote on Facebook this week that she “is not leaving the city for anyone", but Netanyahu’s offer still stands, according to the report.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Thursday that another female candidate the Prime Minister considered is MK Orly Levy-Abekasis, who is currently a member of Yisrael Beytenu, but she preferred to stay in the party of Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, who is reportedly seriously considering placing her in the second place on his list.
Levy-Abekasis’s brother, Jackie, was placed in the 18th spot on the Likud list, as a representative of the Galilee region. Their father is former longtime Likud minister David Levy.
Meanwhile, Deputy Transportation Minister Tzipi Hotovely, who was just 55 votes short of being placed in a realistic spot on the Likud’s Knesset list, on Thursday filed an official appeal with the Likud’s election commission.
Hotovely argues in the appeal that she was placed in the 20th spot on the Likud list, ahead of former minister Avi Dichter.
Hotovely expressed hopes earlier this week that, should she fail to win a realistic spot, Netanyahu will select her for the 11th spot.