The primaries in the Likud Party caused tensions between party chairman Benjamin Netanyahu and several Knesset members, and in particular MK David Bitan.
Channel 12 News reported on Tuesday that Bitan was outraged by Netanyahu's attempts to interfere in the “deals” that were forged ahead of the primaries, and once it became known that the results of the primaries harmed Bitan, he decided to completely cut contacts with the leader of his party.
This was reflected in the fact that Bitan refused to come to a meeting with Netanyahu, even though the latter urged him to come. The chairman of the Likud has been holding meetings with the MKs of the party, to make sure that they are aligned with the messages of the party in the run-up to the elections.
Associates of Bitan and Netanyahu refused to comment on the report.
Last week, dozens of branch heads and heads of authorities who were disappointed by the lack of sufficient representation of women on the Likud slate, wrote a letter to Netanyahu in which they demanded to "reserve spots for women who have been pushed out".
The Likud slate currently includes a total of two women in the top 20, Miri Regev and Galit Distel-Atbaryan, followed by just four more women in realistic spots.