From the "hot tape" to the deals: How the primaries went from a great promise to a flawed system

The article reviews the history of primaries in Israel, from the first Likud primaries in 1993, through the roots of the idea in the 1960s, to criticism of the heavy costs of the system: dependence on wealthy donors, vote contractors, and organized deals.

The article reviews the history of primaries in Israel, starting with the first Likud leadership primaries on January 14, 1993, where Benny Begin and Benjamin Netanyahu ran against David Levy and Moshe Katsav. Netanyahu revealed a threat to publish a "hot tape" against his wife, accused a senior party official of extortion, and won with 52% of the vote. The article describes how primaries were born as a response to Likud's defeat in 1992, following Labor's victory under Yitzhak Rabin, who had adopted the system a year earlier. The debate on the necessity of primaries began as early as the 1960s, with proposals from Shulamit Aloni, Gideon Hausner, and young Labor members. After the Yom Kippur War, the demand for a party law to regulate the issue grew. In 1977, the Alignment held internal elections, and Dash (Democratic Movement for Change) held primaries with 26,000 voters, but revealed cracks like organized party registration. Alongside the promise of refreshing the ranks, the article notes the costs: dependence on wealthy donors, vote contractors, and organized deals of dummy members. Political scientist Danny Koren predicted that primaries weaken the party framework and encourage media populism.