The fledgling HaMiluimnikim (“The Reservists”) Party accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party on Wednesday of pressuring the state registrar to withhold final approval for the faction’s registration.

According to the new party, Likud first petitioned the registrar to prevent the use of the name “HaMiluimnikim,” and is now “pressuring the registrar to disqualify The Reservists’ name and block the final stage of registration.”

The registrar, under Justice Minister Yariv Levin, has been delaying the final stage of registration beyond the legal 30-day deadline, the party claimed, describing it as “an attempt to silence criticism and harm the party’s ability to compete fairly.”

HaMiluimnikim called the move “unprecedented,” noting that no governing party has ever filed an objection to another party’s name or sought to block the registration of a competitor in this manner.

A spokesperson for Levin told The Times of Israel that the allegations were unfounded, adding that the minister “has no connection” to the matter and that he himself wasn’t even aware of........

© The Times of Israel