Some 120,000 registered Likud members were deciding Tuesday on their party's list for the 21st Knesset.
The power struggle that was attracting the most attention was between head of the Likud, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Likud minister Gideon Sa'ar, who was accused last October of trying to organize a putsch against Netanyahu.
On Sunday, Netanyahu brought up the Sa'ar scandal in an interview to Likud TV.
"I didn't make up these accusations. Two Likud members contacted me and said that Sa'ar had reached out to them and laid out a plan for after the election, and asked for their support in persuading President Rivlin to put him, rather than me, in charge of assembling the next government. I didn't make it up. His trick didn't succeed," Netanyahu said.
Sa'ar was quick to respond. The former minister told Army Radio: "When false stories are spread about you, you need to address them, otherwise your silence is seen as confirmation. It's sad that two days before the primaries, the prime minister has tried to recycle this ridiculous story that he told a few months ago."
"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. … What's more, this happened in the Likud TV studio, which was established to battle fake news. And he [Netanyahu] created fake news," Sa'ar said.
In a later interview to Channel 12, Sa'ar said that Netanyahu was "creating and spreading false stories."
"The prime minister and his family are persecuting me," he said.
Even without the rivalry between Netanyahu and Sa'ar, tension in the Likud is running high. On Monday, Likud ministers and MKs toured the country, trying to enlist as much last-minute support as possible ahead of Tuesday's vote. Ministers are jockeying to position themselves as possible successors to Netanyahu while Likud MKs are battling to make it into the 21 places on the list that remain open after the reserved spots have been filled. Competitors for these open spots include Sa'ar, Immigration and Absorption Minister Yoav Gallant, and former Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat.
Netanyahu issued a message to Likud primary voters in which he said, "I am calling on you to come and vote in the primaries. I'm calling on you to ensure the Likud is victorious by voting for my proposal. I am asking to reserve midlevel spots for three candidates to guarantee that the Likud can run against mergers of left-wing parties. These mergers are a danger to us and it's important that the Likud assemble the next government. We must pass the proposal, which will increase our chances of winning."
