Likud Expected to Cancel Primaries by Forming Arranging Committee Amid Internal Disputes

Following the cancellation of the vote on the Likud party's primary election regulations, senior party officials told Channel 13 that party chairman Haim Katz indicated the party will move to establish an arranging committee, effectively canceling the primaries. This committee will be approved by the existing Likud central committee, allowing the party to avoid addressing the recent forgery scandal exposed by Channel 13.

Meanwhile, concerns are rising for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who fears he may not secure a majority to appoint his personal lawyer, Michael Regev, as State Comptroller. Although dissolving the Knesset does not prevent the vote, dissatisfaction within the coalition and Likud members could jeopardize the appointment. In the latest meeting at Netanyahu's residence, it was agreed to postpone the vote until the next Knesset session.

Yesterday, a court issued a temporary injunction halting the vote for the Likud convention regarding the reserved spots on the party list requested by Netanyahu. This followed a petition by the National Labor Federation's social forum, which claimed the election process was flawed, just minutes before polling stations opened.

The Likud Constitution Committee had approved Katz's proposal to grant Netanyahu eight reserved slots on the Knesset list. As part of the agreement, the party primaries are expected to be postponed until August 17. This decision came after a week of intense negotiations, including a meeting between Netanyahu and Katz to secure approval for the reserved spots.

During the Likud Constitution Committee meeting on Monday, MK David Bitan walked out following a heated confrontation with Netanyahu. Netanyahu challenged Bitan to win more mandates and become prime minister himself, to which Bitan responded by recalling his past support for Netanyahu. Earlier in the week, senior Likud officials said Bitan, who had been the loudest opponent of the move, had reconciled with Netanyahu and aligned with party leadership. This followed Netanyahu's proposal two months ago to cancel the primaries and transfer power to the party convention, a move strongly opposed by list members and local leaders, ultimately leading to the current compromise of combining primaries with an increased quota of reserved slots.