Netanyahu sent a letter in English to the Likud’s elected delegates from around the world, asking them to join the breakaway faction of coalition chairman Miki Zohar and not the faction that World Likud chairman Yaakov Hagoel was reelected to lead.
“I call on all the Likud delegates and our friends in the Zionist Congress to join the Likud faction headed by coalition faction chairman Miki Zohar, who I appointed to lead the Likud in the Zionist Congress,” Netanyahu wrote. “I know he is fully committed to carrying out this important task. The effective functioning of the national institutions requires full cooperation with the government of Israel. As prime minister, I intend to work in the spirit of unity with all parties to strengthen the national institutions.”
Beyond the letter, Netanyahu took the operative step of having Likud lawyer Avi Halevy officially inform the WZO that Zohar has power of attorney over the Likud faction there and only the faction led by him could use the Likud name.
Hagoel responded that he would take legal action to prevent the takeover of the World Likud, which he said was undemocratic and violated the party’s bylaws. He threatened to also take action to remove Zohar from the Likud.
“I am doing everything possible to stop the split in Likud,” Hagoel said. “Zohar is misleading the prime minister and continuing his desperate and shameful attempts to split the Likud and undermine its democratic institutions. He should accept that he lost a democratic election.”
Sources in World Likud who are not loyal to either side in the dispute said compromise efforts were underway and a last-minute deal could still be reached just before the congress that could satisfy all the sides.
The sources gave different reasons for Netanyahu involving himself in the details of the WZO. They said that the prime minister wanted to control the Keren Kayemet Le’Israel and its massive budget. They also said Hagoel had been too independent and made decisions the prime minister did not like.
If Zohar obtains control over KKL in the WZO’s coalition talks, the chairmanship would likely be given to Likud MK Haim Katz, who would then abdicate his role as head of the powerful Likud Central Committee, which Netanyahu would seek to give to his loyalist Zohar.
Netanyahu has barely convened the central committee since Katz endorsed Likud MK Gideon Sa’ar in last December’s party leadership race.