ABSTRACT
The Herut conference held at the Tel Aviv Exhibition Grounds in March 1986 was the stormiest, most violent, and most important in the history of Herut and the Likud. Battles raged over party procedures and roles. While the previous battles had concerned the party leadership and were conducted within the relatively smaller and more familiar body, this all-out war involved thousands of party members, including new members who had no connection with or loyalty to the Revisionist legacy. The 1986 conference was also a formative event in the life story of the heirs. David Levy and Ariel Sharon viewed the conference as an historical opportunity to put an end to the veteran-youngster hegemony, to uproot Shamir's support base, and to take control of all the party institutions. The preliminary elections held in anticipation of the 1986 conference witnessed inter-generational conflicts in branches all over the country.
