Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, the former Israeli Prime Minister between 1996-1999, reaffirmed his position as the Likud leader in party primaries. Netanyahu got a staggering 73 percent of votes cast for him and two other opponents, but only about 40 percent of party members have voted.

The other two were Moshe Feiglin, the leader of the Jewish Leadership faction of the Likud, who won 23.4 percent, and World Likud leader Danny Danon, who got just 3.4 percent of the vote.

Bolstered by the vote results, Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu has announced an upcoming battle to unseat the Olmert government. Israeli press hostile to "Bibi" Netanyahu has reported that he has plans to rid of Feiglin who is perceived as an extremist and may damage the Likud's chance of winning in the next general elections. Feiglin is seen by many as a religious fanatic who is frequently outspoken against Jews who believe in Jesus and has dismissed the Christian Zionists’ support of Israel.

The defeated Feiglin told Israeli Army Radio that "some quarter of Likud members say they want a leadership that believes in this people and this land. They understand that this country has no chance (at the moment)."

Around 36 percent of Israelis favored Netanyahu for next prime minister in a recent opinion poll, compared with a very low eight percent for Olmert and 22 percent for former PM and current War Minister Ehud Barak of the Labor party.

Netanyahu was born in Tel Aviv in 1949 from Lithuanian Jews, being the first and only Prime Minister of Israel to be born after the State of Israel's foundation.