World Likud reunites in effort to oust KKL head Atar
Zohar said the details of the reconciliation still needed to be worked out but that the World Likud, the largest faction in the WZO, would no longer be split.
By GIL HOFFMANLikud parliament member Miki Zohar reacts during an arrangements committee meeting at the Knesset.(photo credit: HADAS PARUSH/FLASH90)
The World Likud, which split in a fight between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s allies and the group’s incumbent leadership, reunited on Wednesday, amid coalition talks aimed at taking over the top institutions of the World Zionist Organization at next week’s Zionist Congress.Coalition chairman Miki Zohar, who broke off from the WZO faction headed by World Likud chairman Yaakov Hagoel, will now join forces with him. Hagoel will reportedly give his title to Zohar and will become chairman of the WZO. The deal also reportedly includes an ambassador post for Hagoel’s political ally and predecessor as World Likud chairman, Danny Danon.Zohar said the details of the reconciliation still needed to be worked out but that the World Likud, the largest faction in the WZO, would no longer be split.“I always called for unity in the World Likud,” Hagoel said. “We will strive to come to the Zionist Congress as one united World Likud.”Negotiations on who will receive the top posts will continue until just ahead of the congress. But it appeared on Wednesday night that the powerful position of Keren Kayemet Le’Israel chairman would be split between current WZO head Avraham Duvdevani of the religious Zionist World Mizrachi and Likud MK Haim Katz.“Yes, I want the job, but nothing is set yet and it’s not over until it’s over,” Katz said.One problem for Katz could be that he was indicted in August 2019 on charges of fraud and breach of trust in a scandal probed by the Israel Securities Authority. He cannot receive the post if the indictment is ruled to include moral turpitude.The odd man out appeared to be incumbent KKL head Danny Atar, a former Labor MK, who was endorsed by Blue and White leader Benny Gantz at the insistence of current Labor chairman Amir Peretz. Atar negotiated with WZO factions across the political spectrum in an effort to keep his post.At one point, Blue and White also tried to give the post to former Jewish Agency chairman Ze’ev Bielski. Environmentalists pushed for environmental activist Alon Tal, a former Knesset candidate of Gantz’s Israel Resilience party.Blue and White is likely to be given the chairmanship of the Keren Hayesod, the main fundraising arm for Israel around the world, excluding the United States.
