JERUSALEM - The Zionist General Council, a governing body comprising Zionist organizations worldwide, is scheduled to vote next week on a new interim Jewish Agency chairman.
The winner of Wednesday's election must be confirmed at the assembly of the Jewish Agency. The elected chairman will serve as the chair of the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization.
The delay in the election, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was the result of the fierce battle waged between factions supporting the top candidates: Natan Sharansky, ex-Minister for Diaspora Affairs, and Zeev Bielsky, mayor of Raanana.
On Sunday, Natan Sharansky won the support of World Likud against Prime Minister's Sharon's favorite, Bielsky.
Following the vote, World Likud petitioned the Jerusalem District Court to issue a restraining order forcing Sharon to support Sharansky. The organization claimed the prime minister bypassed the party in recommending Bielsky for the position.
Jerusalem District Court Judge Moshe Drori rejected the petitioned but instructed Sharon to stop promoting the candidacy of Bielsky.
"It is inappropriate for a judicial intervention of court in politics to reach the point of personal injunctions," Drori wrote.
Bielsky, who is considered a favorite among Diaspora leaders, won the support of the Reform and Conservative movements, is also supported by Meretz with 10 votes, and the Confederation of United Zionists with six votes.
The Labor Party's 17 delegates hold the balance of power and will therefore determine the winner.
The elected candidate will first have to receive the approval of the Agency's nine-member Advice and Consent Committee.
