Israeli Court Ruling Shakes Likud, Restricts MPs From Regional Primaries

A dramatic ruling by the Likud party's internal court has overturned a key decision from last week's party convention, significantly impacting the upcoming candidate selection process. The convention had narrowly approved a move led by Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu and party Constitution Committee head, Minister Haim Katz, to allow current and former public officials to run in regional primaries. However, the court ruled that sitting Knesset members, ministers, and deputy ministers cannot use regional districts as an alternative path for candidacy. Additionally, sitting MKs cannot run under the guaranteed representation slots unless they resign from the Knesset and forgo state funding.

The court also reinstated the 35th spot on the Likud list as part of the national list rather than reserving it for a woman, after discovering the gender quota designation was a procedural error. For guaranteed representation, only immigrants who arrived in Israel after January 1, 1990, will qualify. The deadline for candidate submissions, changing candidacy routes, and withdrawals with full registration fee refunds has been extended by 48 hours.

Despite these restrictions, the eight reserved slots granted to Netanyahu at the convention remain valid, preserving his significant influence over the final list composition. The court also dismissed allegations that Netanyahu improperly voted at the convention, citing clear voting records and security-related voting procedures. The ruling criticized media leaks during the petition review process.

This decision intensifies the competition for Likud's lower-ranked seats, with several prominent MKs now facing uncertain prospects in the upcoming elections.