Court Issues Injunction Blocking Likud Primaries Minutes Before Voting

The Lod District Court issued a temporary injunction on July 16, 2026, just minutes before the Likud party primaries were set to begin, effectively banning the vote from taking place. The primaries were scheduled to open at 12:00 PM during the Likud convention. This legal move came amid petitions challenging the legitimacy of holding the primaries.

As a result, the proposed vote on the allocation of reserved spots (sharionim) for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was halted. Notably, the proposal by Knesset member David Bitan, which would have limited Netanyahu to only three reserved spots, was not brought to a vote. Instead, only the proposals from Netanyahu himself and from MK Haim Katz were considered, which would grant Netanyahu eight reserved spots and significant control over the party list.

The injunction interrupts the internal party process and raises questions about the future of the Likud's candidate list formation ahead of upcoming elections. The court's decision came at a critical moment, just as party members were preparing to cast their ballots, underscoring the legal challenges surrounding the party's leadership and candidate selection procedures.