“At least we’re no longer in suspense. Every political player and every outside observer now knows what the national political agenda will be for the next four months. There will be two stages to the election campaign. The first stage consists of drafting Knesset lists, which will prove especially difficult for the larger parties — Likud, Labor and Kadima — because of the havoc-wreaking process of primaries. The primaries often deal a heavy blow to the parties, turning into a bloody battlefield.

The Likud’s primary elections will be especially tough. Right-wing members will try to undermine senior players like Dan Meridor, whom Netanyahu needs to help position the party closer to the center. Netanyahu also needs a number of good, honest right-wingers in order to keep his base among the settlers and their supporters.

Several mysteries, however, still persist. The most interesting is which way Minister Without Portfolio Benny Begin will go. He emerged as an appeaser of the Right, then clashed with settlers in outposts due to his distinctive attitude toward the primacy of rule of law, a reminder of his father, Menachem Begin.”

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