Netanyahu’s Reserved Slots Spark Turmoil Ahead of Likud Primary

The Likud secretariat approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to grant guaranteed places on the party’s Knesset slate to Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Defense Minister Israel Katz. A separate request to reserve a slot for Likud Central Committee chair Haim Katz was blocked by the party’s top internal court, which issued an interim order freezing that vote. Netanyahu also controls eight hand-picked slots, meaning that, in total, ten of the first twenty-nine positions on the upcoming list will be filled by candidates selected by the party leader rather than by the roughly 140,000 rank-and-file members who will vote in the August 17 primary.

The Jerusalem PostThe Jerusalem PostTimes of Israel

Likud has long marketed its primaries as a hallmark of internal democracy, contrasting the process with parties whose leader or a small committee determines the list. After the October 7 2023 Hamas attack, Economy Minister Nir Barkat and former Likud MK Yuli Edelstein reportedly tried to replace Netanyahu through a constructive vote of no confidence, but the effort collapsed when they could not agree on a successor. The episode is cited as a catalyst for Netanyahu’s current effort to secure loyalists through reserved slots.

Times of IsraelThe Jerusalem PostTimes of IsraelThe Jerusalem PostThe Jerusalem Post

• Likud currently holds 32 Knesset seats but polls at an average of 23–24 seats for the October 27 election.

The Jerusalem Post

• Internal polling suggests candidates popular with the base are less appealing to moderate right-wing and swing voters.

The Jerusalem Post

• The party’s membership base numbers about 140,000, with roughly 100,000 eligible to vote in the primary.

The Jerusalem Post

• Ten of the first twenty-nine list positions are now earmarked for Netanyahu’s selections, compared with the eight slots he was allotted last month.

Times of Israel

• The internal court’s interim order explained that freezing Haim Katz’s slot prevents a situation where he could stop campaigning and later be forced back into the race if the decision were reversed.

Times of Israel

• Former MK Dan Illouz highlighted the broader context of the October 7 attack, noting that “when something like October 7 happens, a country that wants to survive cannot simply carry on as usual.”

Times of Israel

Sources differ on the exact proportion of the slate controlled by Netanyahu: some report that he will determine eleven of the top twenty-nine positions (eight personal slots plus three ministerial reservations), while others state ten slots are reserved (eight personal plus two ministerial slots, with the third still pending). The internal court’s freeze on Haim Katz’s slot leaves the final count unresolved.

The Jerusalem Post

• “When something like October 7 happens, a country that wants to survive cannot simply carry on as usual,” — Dan Illouz

Times of Israel

The August 17 primary will decide the remaining list positions. Afif Abed, a Likud MK, plans to appeal the court’s decision to the Supreme Court, seeking to restore the ability of incumbent politicians to run in district primaries. The outcome will shape how much influence Netanyahu retains over the final slate ahead of the October 27 national election.

The Jerusalem Post