Danon wins significant court case against Netanyahu

Israel’s Deputy Minister of Defence Danny Danon has won a court case against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported on Monday. The Tel Aviv District Court ruled that the Likud central committee can vote to take power away from Netanyahu, the party’s leader, giving the Likud’s hawkish right wing more say in determining the party’s political agenda.

According to the newspaper, Danon, who heads the Likud central committee, filed a suit at the Tel Aviv District Court challenging Netanyahu’s decision to overturn the judgment of an internal Likud court to allow the central committee to take power away from the party leader. Danon took the case to an external court to demand that the party’s internal court decision be upheld and won the case on Monday. The court also ordered the party to pay thirty-thousand shekels ($8,540 USD) in court fees.

The court’s decision allows members of the Likud party to challenge Netanyahu’s policies and discuss issues that the prime minister opposes, including the on-going peace talks with the Palestinians, dividing Jerusalem and the refugee issue. Netanyahu had sought to dismiss the Likud court decision fearing that his party would put obstacles before his government during the current round of negotiations.

Danon also wants the central committee to discuss his party’s partnership with Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party and the formation of a unified bloc in future Knesset elections.

According to The Jerusalem Post newspaper, Netanyahu intends to appeal Monday’s ruling to the Supreme Court and “obtain a restraining order to prevent the committee from convening.”