Netanyahu Faces Leadership Test as Likud Members Vote on Reserved Knesset Slots and Primary Rules

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is confronting a critical leadership challenge within the Likud party as its Central Committee members prepare to vote on Thursday regarding his proposal for eight personal reserved slots in the party's Knesset list and changes to the primary election rules. The reserved slots, approved earlier this week by the Likud Constitution Committee, include positions 3, 5, 9, 11, 15, 18, 26, and 31 on the list. This vote, conducted by approximately 4,500 committee members across 18 polling stations nationwide from noon to 6 p.m., will be secret, adding an element of risk for Netanyahu since members may vote against their political interests to support his reserved slots at the expense of new candidates.

The Constitution Committee had initially considered granting Netanyahu 10 to 11 reserved slots but settled on eight. Behind the scenes, a deal was struck between Netanyahu and Minister Haim Katz, who also chairs the Constitution Committee and the party's Central Committee. Katz agreed to back Netanyahu’s proposal and secured a reserved slot for himself, avoiding the primaries. Katz also ensured that incumbent Knesset members like MK Eti Atiya could run in slots traditionally reserved for new candidates under the revised primary rules.

Senior Likud officials revealed that shortly before the committee meeting, Katz and MK David Bitan, chairman of the Economic Committee, had reached their own agreement on the party list selection. However, Netanyahu ultimately dismantled their deal to secure most of his demands, including Katz’s personal reserved slot. Bitan publicly opposed the Netanyahu-Katz proposal, advocating for broader primaries with fewer reserved slots. He accused Katz of exploiting his position to influence Netanyahu and criticized the reserved slots for potentially alienating voters and harming Likud’s electoral prospects, noting a decline in party poll numbers since the reserved slots discussion began.