Israel: New Likud party leader to be elected, Netanyahu has a serious rival

(Patria) - After more than a decade in power, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced a new challenge - this time it is rivalry within his own party and pretensions to his - supreme position.

The experienced politician Gideon Saar (53) is running for the position of Likud party leader who will form the government, as he believes he has better capacities for it than Netanyahu, who has two failed attempts behind him.

Saar is a prominent political figure in Israel, and served as Minister of Education and Minister of the Interior between 2009 and 2014.

However, analysts believe that his chances of defeating Netanyahu in Likud are slim, and that he cannot get more than 25% of the votes. Despite corruption charges, Netanyahu remains the favorite of party members.

The voting results will be announced early Friday morning.

If Saar wins, he will automatically become Likud's candidate for the position of Prime Minister of Israel in the elections scheduled for March.

Netanyahu describes Saar as inexperienced, while he calls himself the foundation of security and master of international diplomacy.

Let us recall that Benjamin Netanyahu has been charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three corruption cases, in which he is accused of exchanging legal and procedural favors in exchange for expensive gifts and media favoritism.

Netanyahu, who is still prime minister, found himself in the midst of legal problems precisely during the political deadlock in the Israeli government, which is the result of two elections with divided results, and a third election is planned in just under a year.

However, Netanyahu's rival, the leader of the Blue and White party, Benny Gantz, also failed to form a government because he refused to enter into a coalition with Likud due to Netanyahu's legal problems and his alliance with ultra-Orthodox parties. Although both wanted to form a unified national government, Gantz and Netanyahu differed in their vision of the structure of such a government.

This increases the possibility of forming a unified government if Saar truly takes the helm of Likud, which likely encouraged him to run.