Likud is engulfed in a fresh internal battle over how its Knesset list will be chosen, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu examines a compromise that could cancel the party primaries and replace them with a selection committee. The move would follow a proposal pushed by Likud mayors, and party figures say the main advocates inside the party are Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Under the draft being discussed, the national list would be locked in through place 40, with district candidates competing only from that point onward. The current reserved slots for a woman, young candidate, ultra-Orthodox candidate, minority representative and new immigrant would be eliminated, and Netanyahu would instead receive nine reserved placements, three in each of the first three tens on the list.
Opponents inside the faction argue that the push to end primaries is driven by senior politicians trying to protect their own standing. They say Levin, who topped the previous primaries, fears slipping from his high position, while Katz is worried about his standing amid his bitter dispute with MK Tali Gottlieb. Other Likud sources said Interior Minister Chaim Katz also wants the primaries scrapped to help keep ally MK Eti Atia and Knesset Economics Committee chair David Bitan in the next list.
According to party sources, Netanyahu's team has already begun negotiating with lawmakers and ministers about possible placements if no primary is held. Bat Yam Mayor Tzvika Brot, who is expected to head Likud's election headquarters, is described as the person who persuaded Netanyahu to pursue the idea, while Israel Local Government Center chairman Chaim Bibas also supports it and hopes for a reserved slot. Netanyahu says he is working to end the primaries through agreement and dialogue, arguing that canceling them would keep more sitting lawmakers on the list because all the districts would be scrapped.
The primaries for the list are supposed to take place in July, and this would be the second time Likud has canceled internal elections after it already scrapped the leadership primary when Netanyahu had no challengers. Last week, Likud internal auditor Adv. Shai Galili said Netanyahu's demand to cancel the primaries was illegal. Party voices also suggested the vote could disappear simply because there will be no time left to organize it, and one source said Netanyahu could let that happen by doing nothing. Levin's camp called the claims a total lie, Katz's associates said he is not dealing with the matter, and another Likud source said Netanyahu also wants cancellation for financial reasons because the primaries would cost the party millions of shekels at a time of heavy debt.
