Netanyahu’s Likud Party holds primaries ahead of Israel’s general elections

Israel’s governing Likud Party will hold primaries to choose candidates for the country’s upcoming crunch general election.Likud’s primaries are among the most heated and unruly events in the Israeli political calendar. The legislative election is also likely to be the most consequential for both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud Party, adding particular intrigue to Monday’s primaries.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Huckabee calls Israeli settlers ‘terrorists’: Can US push end Qusra siege?list 2 of 4US wants Netanyahu to condemn settler violence in Qusralist 3 of 4Kushner to visit Israel after Netanyahu rejects Gaza Board of Peace planlist 4 of 4Analysis: Israel’s government can’t disown West Bank settler violenceend of listHere’s what we know.Why is Likud important?The right-wing party broke the Labor-left monopoly on Israeli politics when Likud leader Menachem Begin became prime minister following the 1977 general election.Likud has been credited with radically redrawing Israel’s political map and shifting the centre ground dramatically to the right.Likud-led governments have waged major wars and military campaigns, including the invasion of Lebanon in...