It furthermore noted that Sa\u2019ar had been guaranteed a reserved slot on the list under the terms of last year\u2019s merger between his New Hope party and Likud, and that Haim Katz deserved a reserved spot by dint of his position as the central committee chair.<\/p>\n
The 1 a.m. missive, which failed to explain why the three men were not simply allocated three of the eight reserved spots already granted to Netanyahu, was likely to incur anger within Likud, as the motion to increase the premier\u2019s reserved slots to eight had already sparked dissent when it was approved last month.<\/p>\n
Indeed, Likud MK Tally Gotliv on Tuesday slammed the decision to guarantee Israel Katz a spot, calling it \u201ca disgraceful move that mocks Likud voters,\u201d and alleging Katz was \u201cdeeply afraid of the primary results and rightly so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t If the party secretariat approves the three reserved slots, Netanyahu will in practice be granted control over 11 of the top 29 spots on the Likud list \u2014 and unprecedented influence over more than a third of the party\u2019s realistic slate.<\/p>\n A realistic slate refers to the number of candidates from that party expected to win a Knesset seat. Public opinion polls have consistently shown Likud getting around 22-24 seats in the October 27 election, significantly down from its current 32, meaning that the 11 reserved slots would leave 11-13 positions to be filled through the party primary. More than twice as many incumbent lawmakers and ministers are expected to compete for those slots.<\/p>\n Likud uses a complex primary system to determine much, though not all, of its candidate list, and has long prided itself on its internal democratic processes. It is one of only a handful of Israeli parties that hold primaries to select both its leader and Knesset slate, alongside the left-wing The Democrats and the Arab-majority Hadash.<\/p>\n \t The move was the latest controversial choice from the party, which hours earlier caused an uproar<\/a> after it was discovered that Netanyahu\u2019s first pick for his eight reserved slots, entrepreneur Oren Dobronsky, had recently called US President Donald Trump a \u201cmorally corrupt piece of shit.\u201d<\/p>\n The announcement did not specify where on the list the three men would be placed. Netanyahu\u2019s eight preferred candidates, including Dobronsky, will be placed in the 3rd, 5th, 9th, 11th, 15th, 18th, 26th and 29th spots on the list.<\/p>\n The primary race will be tighter still after the Likud internal tribunal overturned a Central Committee vote to allow sitting and former lawmakers to compete for slots reserved for regional districts.<\/p>\n The district spots have for decades been open only to new candidates, acting as a diversifying tool that gives new figures a chance to make it into the Knesset.<\/p>\n The Likud Central Committee vote, had it not been overturned, would have taken some of the pressure off veteran lawmakers and ministers by allowing them to compete for more slots.<\/p>\n Ariela Karmel and Sam Sokol contributed to this report.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tLikud MK Tally Gotliv speaks to the media outside the Jerusalem District Court, August 6, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/F251125CG112-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara cast their vote during the elections for the Likud Central Committee, at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, November 25, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
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