Manhigut Yehudit

Conversely, the same radical right has characterized the Manhigut project as "naive" in thinking that it can re-shape Israeli politics by "infiltrating" the largely secular (and debatably, pragmatic) right-wing Likud party.

Despite all this, Manhigut has a devoted following, both in Israel and abroad, many of whom see Feiglin's "moderate" and long-term approach to work within the parliamentary system (and specifically, to slowly and eventually gain control of the Likud as a powerful bloc) as refreshingly innovative, if not ingenious.

While Feiglin and his supporters remained optimistic about his chances of winning the position, in the last weeks before the primary, there were calls from both the center-right and the Religious Zionist movement for him to withdraw from the race.

The present Yesha Council Chairman, Bentzi Lieberman, who endorsed Netanyahu, went so far as to characterize Feiglin's plan to co-opt the Likud as a "moral failure" [3].

In response, Feiglin compared his detractors with "a battered woman who covers the bruises on her face with make-up and keeps going back to her husband".

Many left-wing and centrist politicians, as well as some journalists, agreed with Feiglin's assessment, asserting that while he did not come close to winning, the comparatively large number of votes cast for him indicated a radical shift among Likud voters, which could possibly result in changing both its vision and image in the future.

Feiglin ran against Netanyahu in the 2012 Likud leadership election, held on January 31, 2012, and again received 23% of the vote,[2] and went on to serve as deputy speaker in the 19th Knesset.