Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears poised to secure unprecedented influence over the composition of Likud’s next Knesset slate, ahead of elections expected by the end of October, according to a Monday report by the Kan public broadcaster.

Amid a dispute over controlling the composition of Likud’s next Knesset slate ahead of the elections, Netanyahu has been weighing either replacing the primaries, set to be held by the end of July, with a selection committee or installing up to 10 of his handpicked candidates into the top 35 places on the Likud slate.

Both options, which have faced fierce internal opposition, would enable Netanyahu to dominate the Likud slate, marking a sharp departure from the party’s tradition of selecting candidates through internal democratic elections.

According to Kan, the premier now believes that dropping the more sweeping proposal to cancel primaries could help him win approval for reserving slots, a prospect that he has repeatedly sought but been denied by party institutions.

The arrangement has yet to be approved, however, with Likud MK David Bitan and other senior lawmakers reported to oppose it.

The development came after Bitan — among the party’s most influential figures — launched a public and legal campaign against efforts to replace the party’s primaries with a selection committee, warning Monday that Likud could “disappear” within a decade if the party’s primaries are canceled.

“The entire foundation of Likud is the connection between elected officials and party members. That gives the party its vitality,” Bitan told 103FM Radio. “All parties that operated [without primaries] were eventually wiped out. You can’t sustain a party on a non-democratic basis.”

The veteran lawmaker........

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