Likud Court Halts Haim Katz’s Nomination Shield Over Conflict of Interest Claims

The Likud party’s internal court has issued an interim injunction stopping the vote on granting Haim Katz a protected spot (shield) on the party’s Knesset list. This decision follows allegations of a conflict of interest, as Katz chairs the party’s Constitution Committee, which approved the shielding mechanism from which he personally benefits. The injunction comes just one week before the Likud primaries, adding complexity to the ongoing dispute over the party list composition.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced plans to shield three senior ministers, Israel Katz, Gideon Sa’ar, and Haim Katz, allowing them to bypass the primary vote. The court’s decision was prompted by a petition from attorney Aviad Visoli, who argued that Katz’s role in approving the shielding system constitutes a conflict of interest and political quid pro quo. The court noted that unlike the cases of Sa’ar and Israel Katz, the conflict claims regarding Haim Katz require further investigation and thus postponed the vote until a final ruling.

Katz, who previously pushed to bar ministers and sitting MKs from running in regional primaries to secure safer spots for his allies, was expected to receive a shielded slot at number 18 on the list. Critics have described this as a political rescue for Katz amid a fierce contest for Knesset seats. The injunction raises questions about Netanyahu’s ability to implement his planned shielding strategy, which includes eight protected spots approved by the Likud convention.

The dispute over shielding coincides with a brutal battle for about ten open spots on the national list, intensified by the court’s earlier decision to bar ministers and MKs from regional races. This move forces many incumbents to compete in a highly competitive national primary, with estimates that around 15 sitting Likud MKs may lose their seats. The court’s ruling introduces further uncertainty ahead of the primaries, with the final decision on Katz’s shield potentially impacting both his political future and Netanyahu’s control over the party list.