Senior MK removed from Knesset defense panel after backing the sovereignty bill in Judea and Samaria, defying party discipline and exposing deep rifts within Likud. Netanyahu is afraid of angering the US Administration but showing his weakness. The bill must pass two more reading before becoming law, but this is a shot across Bibi’s bow from Greater Israel loyalists.

In a striking show of party discipline, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud faction has removed veteran lawmaker Yuli Edelstein from the influiential Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee after he defied the party line and voted in favor of a bill extending Israeli sovereignty to Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

The measure, which passed its preliminary reading by the narrowest of margins—25 to 24—was boycotted by most of Likud. Edelstein’s vote proved decisive, tipping the balance in favor of the proposal. His action sent shockwaves through the governing coalition, prompting swift retaliation from party leadership determined to maintain internal unity.

In a statement issued after the vote, Edelstein stood firmly by his decision, declaring that “Israeli sovereignty in all parts of our homeland is the order of the day.” He called on “all Zionist factions to vote in favor,” underscoring his long-held belief that the Jewish right to the land is non-negotiable.

The bill itself calls for the application of Israeli law to settlement areas across Judea and Samaria, formally recognizing them as an inseparable part of the State of Israel. While still requiring several more readings before it can become law, its narrow passage in the preliminary stage signals growing momentum within right-wing ranks for annexation or full sovereignty moves that had been stalled in recent years.

Edelstein’s ouster marks the latest chapter in his uneasy relationship with the Likud leadership. Once among Netanyahu’s closest allies, he has increasingly found himself at odds with the party’s inner circle. In July, he was removed as chairman of the same committee after clashing with coalition partners over his proposed Haredi enlistment bill, which would have imposed penalties on ultra-Orthodox draft evaders. That move led to a crisis within the coalition, prompting the Shas and United Torah Judaism parties to temporarily quit the government.

He was replaced by fellow Likud MK Boaz Bismuth, a staunch Netanyahu loyalist now tasked with drafting a new version of the enlistment law. Party sources say Likud leaders feared Edelstein might vote against or seek to obstruct Bismuth’s new bill in committee discussions. His open defiance on the annexation issue appears to have sealed his fate.

Opposition figures have described the move as a sign of weakness, accusing Netanyahu of surrounding himself with “yes-men” rather than allowing independent voices within his party. But supporters of the Prime Minister say unity is essential at a time when Israel faces complex security challenges, and any sign of internal division can be exploited by enemies abroad.

The episode exposes a deep ideological rift within Likud itself—between those who believe the time has come for full sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, and those who prefer to coordinate with international allies, including the United States, before taking such a step. Netanyahu has consistently walked a fine line on the issue, balancing his party’s nationalist wing with the strategic imperatives of Israel’s diplomatic alliances.

Edelstein, a former Knesset Speaker and Soviet dissident, remains one of Likud’s most seasoned figures and a symbol of the Zionist right. His stance reflects a conviction that Israel’s claim to Judea and Samaria is not a matter of politics but of principle and heritage. Whether his defiance will cost him further politically—or elevate him as a standard-bearer for sovereignty within the movement—remains to be seen.

The annexation bill now returns to committee for further debate—without Edelstein’s voice at the table. Yet the ideological question he raised will continue to reverberate through Likud and Israeli politics: how far, and how fast, the nation should move to assert its sovereignty over the heartland of the Jewish people.