Netanyahu Packs Likud Slate with Allies in Reserved Slots

On the day the Central Elections Committee closed submissions for the October 27 election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced six new candidates for the Likud party’s reserved slots. The additions brought the total of his appointees to nine, giving him direct control over more than a third of the realistic positions on the party’s 35-person slate. The six newcomers—Talik Gvili, Jacob Bardugo, Elisha Madan, David Peter, Eli Goldschmidt and Itzik Bonzel—joined ministers Israel Katz, Gideon Sa’ar and Haim Katz, who had already been allocated two of Netanyahu’s discretionary places.

Times of Israel

The Likud Constitution Committee granted Netanyahu eight discretionary slots in July, ending a contentious internal dispute in which he had threatened to cancel the party’s August primary if his control was not expanded. The committee’s decision followed resistance from Likud lawmakers and local officials who warned that expanding the premier’s appointments would push primary winners further down the list. An additional slot was later secured for Israel Katz, briefly raising the number of reserved candidates under Netanyahu’s direct influence to ten before one candidate relinquished his place.

Times of IsraelThe Jerusalem PostThe Jerusalem Post

• Reserved slots under Netanyahu’s control: 9 (briefly 10).

Times of Israel

• Total Likud slate: 35 candidates submitted just before the deadline.

Times of Israel

• Women on the slate: 4 (Miri Regev, Talik Gvili, Etty Atia, Gila Gamliel). Only one of the nine reserved slots (Gvili) was filled by a woman, highlighting a persistent gender imbalance.

Times of Israel

• Polling projection: Likud has been polling at around 23 seats, making the top-20 positions on the list the most realistic for entering the Knesset.

Times of Israel

• Positions of the new appointees: Gvili (9th), Bardugo (11th), Madan (15th), Peter (16th), Goldschmidt (26th), Bonzel (29th).

Times of Israel

• “The currency that matters is not public service, integrity or Israel’s security, but the degree of devotion and willingness to deepen the rift in Israeli society and strengthen the leader at any cost,” — Gadi Eisenkot

The Jerusalem Post

With the Likud list now finalized, the party will campaign toward the October 27 election. The composition of the slate—particularly the concentration of Netanyahu-chosen allies and the limited female representation—will shape intra-party dynamics and voter perceptions as the election approaches.

The Jerusalem Post