Haaretz reports: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far raised nearly 539,000 shekels ($137,000) in his bid to retain his position at the head of Likud. The sum came from 15 donors, all of whom are from overseas. Fourteen are from the United States, while one is from Spain.

At this point, Netanyahu’s only challenger is Danny Danon, who has raised a total of 261,000 shekels from 11 donors – 10 of whom reside in the United States.

Before dropping out of the leadership race, Moshe Feiglin had raised 220,000 shekels from 217 donations.

The Likud primary will be held on December 31, with the winner leading the party into the Knesset election, which will be held on March 17. [Continue reading…]