The June 27 election of Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon, "the settlers’ favorite," to the head of the Likud party convention surprised no one; it only symbolized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s loss of control over his party.
The warning signs had been there over the last four years; giant Likud party registration campaigns were conducted in Judea and Samaria. These registrations systematically succeeded in changing the party’s DNA. Netanyahu saw what was going on, but in those years he exhibited apathy.