Netanyahu Loses Another Protected Spot on Likud List

Businessman and entrepreneur Oren Dobronsky announced late Monday night that he is withdrawing his candidacy for the 11th spot on the Likud party's Knesset list, opting instead to serve solely as a professional minister for AI affairs. This decision leaves Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with six protected, or "armored," spots to fill on the list just hours before the deadline for submitting party slates for the upcoming elections.

Dobronsky stated in a social media post that Netanyahu had asked him two months prior to join the Likud "team" for the elections, offering him a ministerial role focused on AI and a high placement on the party list. However, Dobronsky explained that he preferred to serve only as a professional minister, believing he could contribute more effectively in that capacity without being a Knesset member on the list itself.

He affirmed his intention to work closely with Netanyahu to establish Israel as a global AI superpower. The decision to forgo the protected Knesset seat reportedly stemmed from Dobronsky's realization that accepting it would require renouncing his U.S. citizenship and incurring significant exit taxes to the United States, estimated to be in the millions.

Dobronsky's withdrawal creates urgency for Netanyahu, who has only a few hours left before the 10:00 PM deadline to find six additional candidates to fill the remaining protected positions on the Likud's Knesset slate.