The Likud court has ruled that the Likud Court of Israel has jurisdiction to intervene in the affairs of the World Likud, despite the lawyers of World Likud vehemently denying the jurisdiction of the Likud Court of Israel to discuss matters that concern World Likud.
This was revealed exclusively to The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
World Likud is the international wing of the Likud party, which connects supporters of Likud outside of Israel with the party in Israel. It organizes conferences (the World Likud Conference) and programs for Diaspora engagement. Within World Likud is the Likud Court, which is the highest judicial organ inside the party.
On Wednesday, a hearing took place to resolve various disputes relating to a larger fight over World Likud.
The hearing was held in the Supreme Court of the Likud between the candidates for the leadership of World Likud, Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar and Chairman of the World Zionist Organization Yaakov Hagoel.
The process began after Zohar found irregularities in the election process of World Likud, including a dispute between the parties over the identity of delegates able to vote in the World Likud Conference, which determines who will lead the movement in the following five years.
There were three main disputes: firstly, Zohar believes that some countries do not have an official branch of World Likud; second, World Likud wants – for the first time – to carry out elections secretly and electronically, while Zohar wants the vote to be open; and third, to resolve the fact that some delegates were submitted by virtue of office by the World Likud contrary to the constitution of the Likud.
Finally, the main dispute between the parties was over which delegates would be submitted to the conference by the ZOA coalition representing the Likud in the US.
As previously mentioned, the lawyers of the World Likud vehemently denied the jurisdiction of the Likud Court of Israel to discuss matters that concern the World Likud.
Minister Zohar told the Post that this was an absurd position, and seems to derive from the World Likud’s fears that the Likud Israel court will be able to preside over the matter and make decisions that are not in favor of Hagoel.
Following an intense four hours of discussions, the Likud court decided to make a clear decision and ruled unequivocally that the Likud Court of Israel has jurisdiction by virtue of the Likud constitution to intervene in the affairs of the World Likud and to overturn the decisions that were made in the Court of the World Likud.
World Likud was subsequently asked to declare that they accept the jurisdiction of the Likud Court of Israel, something which World Likud and Hagoel refused to do.
Informed sources told the Post that Hagoel took the decision of the Court harshly, and it was evident that he understood that the more time that passes, the more public support of Zohar rises, also because he earned the support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A source close to Hagoel said that they do not remember such a battle in World Likud in the past 20 years.
The ruling however marks a success for Zohar who garnered significant support from the delegates in the Diaspora.