The unending saga surrounding the Likud primaries continued on Friday, as the Likud court ordered a recount of all the ballots in the primaries.

The court’s ruling came despite the opposition by MK Tzipi Hotovely, who was named the candidate in the #20 spot on the Likud’s Knesset list earlier this week.

The ruling fully accepts the petition of Avi Dichter who was originally slated for the #20 spot, and who was bumped to a less-realistic 26th place.

While the court said that recounting all the ballots would open a “Pandora’s Box” and is an embarrassment to the Likud, but also noted that there was no other choice.

Former MK Michael Kleiner, who heads the Likud’s internal court, stated that the recount will be done in the following way: Any ballot in which either both Dichter and Hotovely were elected or in which neither was elected will be ignored.

On the other hand, ballots in which only one of Dichter or Hotovely were elected will be recounted, thus showing the real difference between the two.

Attorneys Dan Chai and Tom Schnapp, who represent Dichter, welcomed the recount.

“The court accepted our petition in its entirety, and what was important to us throughout the whole process is the will of the voter. There was complete chaos in the Likud primaries, and it would have been a miscarriage of justice had a decision to recount all the votes in all polling stations across the country not been made. We welcome this decision that respects the will of the voter more than anything,” they said.

Last week, Dichter fired that, in his view, several polling stations across the country “suffered from many serious flaws, bordering on criminal, that have cast a terrible stain on the entire movement. I can’t accept this position until these flaws are sorted out.”

While the court has suggested that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu simply place Dichter in the #11 spot on the list, which is reserved for a candidate of Netanyahu’s choice, Dichter refused that compromise and made clear that he wants the final list to reflect the will of the voter.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)