BREAKING NEWS

Netanyahu crushes Danon to retain Likud chairmanship; Erdan in lead for No. 2 slot

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won first slot in the Likud primary by an overwhelming margin, garnering 75 percent of the vote to assure his hold on the chairmanship of the ruling party, it was announced early Thursday morning.
The man who challenged him for the chairmanship, Danny Danon, captured 19 percent of the vote. Six percent abstained.
The initial results from the Likud primary on Wednesday began to trickle in early Thursday, with Gilad Erdan leading in the race for the No. 2 slot. Erdan is followed by Yuli Edelstein, Yisrael Katz, Ze'ev Elkin, Yariv Levin, and Silvan Shalom.
Rounding out the top 10 are Moshe Ya'alon and Ofir Akunis.
Miri Regev won the top slot reserved for a female party member, beating out Gila Gamliel.
Netanyahu is scheduled to address the media at 11:00 a.m. local time. The prime minister is expected to discuss the Likud primary as well as the latest developments on the diplomatic front.