Israeli Court Bars Sitting Likud MKs and Ministers from Running in District Primaries

The Tel Aviv District Court rejected a petition challenging the Likud party's internal court ruling that prohibits current ministers, deputy ministers, and Knesset members from running in the party's district primaries. This decision overturns a recent party center vote that had narrowly approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal allowing sitting politicians to compete in the primaries by district.

Prior to the court ruling, internal petitions had already led the Likud party's court to annul the earlier decision, citing procedural irregularities and violations of the equality principle. As a result, at least half of the Likud faction may be excluded from the upcoming Knesset elections unless sitting MKs and ministers resign to run in the district primaries.

The initial proposal, which was later invalidated, also included additional slots reserved for Netanyahu on the party list, granting him eight secured positions within the top 30 spots. These reserved placements were approved by a significant majority despite the controversy over the district primary rules.

The court's ruling reinforces the party's internal regulations and significantly impacts the composition of Likud's candidate list ahead of the elections, potentially reshaping the party's parliamentary representation.