Israeli elections: Likud finalizes primaries’ rules with Netanyahu’s reserved slots

The Likud Party's constitutional committee met Monday to determine the rules for selecting the party's candidate list ahead of Israel's next parliamentary elections, but failed to reach a consensus, raising the possibility that the vote will be postponed until Thursday.

The dispute centers on competing visions for how Likud's electoral slate should be formed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking a system that combines reserved slots under his direct control, a selection committee, and limited party primaries. In contrast, Likud MK David Bitan is pushing to preserve the party's traditional primary system with minimal leadership intervention.

As a compromise, Energy Minister Haim Katz presented a proposal backed by Netanyahu that would grant the prime minister eight reserved positions considered realistic for election.

Under the plan, Netanyahu would control the 3rd, 5th, 9th, 11th, 15th, 18th, 26th, and 31st places on the list. The 31st slot is reportedly intended for Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar.

The remainder of the slate would be filled through internal party elections across Likud's regional districts, while several additional positions would remain reserved for specific groups, including a new female candidate, young candidates, new immigrants, non-Jewish citizens, people with disabilities, and representatives from various regions of Israel.

Bitan has rejected the proposal, arguing that it would give Netanyahu excessive influence over the party list.

His alternative plan would limit the prime minister to three reserved positions among the party's likely Knesset seats—2nd, 6th, and 16th—along with two additional lower-ranking slots.

Ahead of Monday's meeting, Bitan reportedly lobbied fellow ministers and lawmakers in an effort to secure majority support for his proposal. According to senior Likud officials, the internal debate has evolved into a power struggle between Netanyahu's allies and Bitan's supporters.

"We keep talking about reserved slots, but everything remains unclear," Bitan said during the meeting. "We don't know who these candidates would be or what they would contribute to Likud."

With no agreement reached, party officials are now considering delaying the committee's secret ballot until Thursday.

If approved, the postponement would also push back the Likud primaries, originally scheduled for August 4, to August 18.

According to multiple Israeli media reports, Netanyahu believes he should be able to directly appoint at least one-third of the party's realistic Knesset candidates in order to maximize the right-wing bloc's chances of winning the upcoming election.

In recent days, the Prime Minister has held a series of meetings with Likud ministers and lawmakers in an effort to win support for his proposal.

Aside from Bitan, MK Tally Gotliv has been the only other Likud lawmaker to publicly oppose the plan. Without directly criticizing Netanyahu, she has accused senior ministers, including Yariv Levin and Israel Katz, of attempting to reduce the influence of party members in selecting the party's candidates.