MK Tali Gottlieb Surges Ahead in Likud Primaries with Over 100,000 Vote Lead

MK Tali Gottlieb is leading the Likud primaries on the C14 portal with a significant margin, holding approximately 227,658 votes, which is about 68% more than Defense Minister Israel Katz, who is in second place with 135,395 votes. This surge comes amid a public dispute between Gottlieb and Katz over Katz's signing of a confidentiality certificate related to a legal case against Gottlieb involving the publication of a Shin Bet agent's name. Gottlieb claims Katz's signature enabled the indictment, while Katz's office states the signature was a professional requirement and did not remove immunity.

Following the dispute, Katz publicly denied Gottlieb's claims and affirmed his support for holding the Likud primaries, despite internal party debates over the primary election format and reserved spots on the party list. Meanwhile, the Likud party faces legal challenges concerning the primary election framework. After the party's Constitution Committee approved a proposal by Minister Haim Katz that includes eight reserved slots for the prime minister and sets incumbent MKs' list positions, a petition and injunction request were filed by Haifa district candidate Tzvi'el Rubin. If the party court decides to hear the petition, the Likud conference scheduled for Thursday to finalize the framework could be postponed, potentially affecting the entire primary schedule amid upcoming deadlines such as the expected Knesset dissolution on July 17 and the September 7 deadline for submitting candidate lists.

The C14 Likud primaries portal remains open for public voting, allowing users to select their preferred candidates for the national list, district representatives, and a new female candidate to join the list. The voting is free and updated in real time, reflecting public preferences for the party's candidate lineup ahead of the 2026 elections.