(JTA) — Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that the Likud Party’s demotion of far-right faction leader Moshe Feiglin on its election slate was acceptable.
The court’s ruling Sunday overturned a Tel Aviv District Court’s ruling in response to a petition filed by Michael Ratzon, considered a part of the party’s far-right wing, who fell from 24th place to 37th place when the party decided to move district representatives higher on the party’s list for upcoming Knesset elections. The court said the district court should not have interfered in an internal party matter.
Feiglin, head of the Likud’s Jewish Leadership faction, fell from an attainable 20th spot on the list to 36th in the reshuffling, which many believe was a ploy to help the party appeal to more centrist voters.
Feiglin, who was not part of the lawsuit, responded to the decision. "The High Court decision came as no surprise," he said in a statement. "The High Court is the mainstay of the dictatorship that controls Israel. It does not concern itself with democratic procedure. Clearly, this dictatorship will do whatever it must to protect itself from the person who reveals its true face and threatens to restore the State of Israel to the people of Israel.
"Those who do not want to see Feiglin in the Knesset will have to get used to seeing him as prime minister," he said.
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