Bibi Delays Likud Knesset Elections to Oust Feiglin

From the Jerusalem Post:

New Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu delayed the Likud's Knesset elections by six days on Wednesday to allow him to take the legal steps necessary to oust right-wing activist Moshe Feiglin from the party...."There will not be room in our party for corruption and extremist lawbreaking," Netanyahu told the Likud faction. "Our party will work to restore its image to the good old days of Menachem Begin."

Feiglin served six months in jail following his 1997 conviction for seditious acts, publications and unlawful assembly during his protest of the Oslo Accords.

Feiglin received unexpected backing from MKs who had been called the Likud rebels during their battle against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his disengagement plan. In just his second day as Likud leader, the rebels turned on Netanyahu, accusing him of a "witch hunt" against Feiglin.

This is a perfect illustration of what I wrote yesterday:

he has a knack for alienating allies, seeing them as competition.

Feiglin was a proponent of civil disobedience who was convicted of sedition for his non-violent protest of the Oslo accords. There are many people who would not vote for Feiglin who believe that his conviction was a political attack inflicted by the leftist-dominated judiciary. This was further confirmed over time, given that Feglin's warnings about the terror that Oslo would engender were correct. It is additionally underscored by the fact that far from being "seditious," Feiglin was highly pro-Israel, in stark contrast to the periodic and unprosecuted treasonous pronouncements made by Arab politicians, such as Azmi Bishara, who recently said that "Israel's is the 20th Century's greatest robbery, perpetrated in broad daylight."

Bibi is transparently looking to contrive his "Sister Souljah moment," in which he appeals to the political center by confronting Likud's extreme. The problem is that his sense was blinded by jealousy. There are dramatic differences between Feiglin and Sister Soulja. She called for the killing of whites. It is true that most Israelis would not vote for Feiglin. However, he has widespread sympathy. His motive for the Oslo protest, protecting Israelis from terror, is widely supported. A majority respects his strong stand against the terror that Israelis later came to witness. Also there is significant outrage among opinion leaders, such as those sensitive to civil liberties, over the "sedition" judicial overreach.

Netanyahu's political pandering is quite transparent, as is evident from the continuation of the above article:

Vowing to turn the party to the center, Netanyahu spoke in the Likud faction about the Hebron and Wye accords that he signed with former Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat. Netanyahu made a point of avoiding talking about the agreements during his campaign for the Likud leadership, but felt free to mention them now that he is seeking votes from the political center.

"We in the Likud made peace with Egypt, supported the peace agreement with Jordan and I personally signed successful agreements with the Palestinians," Netanyahu said, comparing the accords to the "dangerous unilateral moves" taken by Sharon.