Internal Court Halts Appointment of Likud Minister Haim Katz Amid Conflict of Interest Claims

The political turmoil within Israel's Likud party over Prime Minister Netanyahu's reserved list appointments has intensified. While the party's secretariat began a phone vote to approve Netanyahu's reserved slots and shortened nomination deadlines, the Likud internal court issued an interim injunction immediately halting the vote on Minister and party center chairman Haim Katz's reserved spot. The injunction followed a petition alleging Katz faces a fundamental conflict of interest, as he chaired the committee that initially approved Netanyahu's reserved appointments, making his own reserved slot a political quid pro quo. The court ruled the petition's claims "worthy of examination" and ordered Katz and the party's legal advisor to respond within 24 hours.

However, the court did not intervene in the reserved appointments of Defense Minister Israel Katz, granted for security reasons, or Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, under a coalition agreement. Meanwhile, Netanyahu approved shortened nomination deadlines for Deputy Minister Almog Cohen of Otzma Yehudit, facilitating his candidacy in the upcoming Likud primaries. Cohen's team is still deciding whether to run in the primaries or secure a reserved slot. Other figures granted shortened deadlines include Minister Zeev Elkin, Shai Klach, Channel 14 panelist Dror Kafach, and Loren Freinta. Notably, Hadar Mukhtar, despite a vigorous campaign, was denied a shortened deadline and will be excluded from the primaries.

The night before, Netanyahu announced that the Likud secretariat would be asked to approve reserved spots for Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, and Haim Katz. This announcement sparked significant anger among party ministers and MKs, who accused the move of bypassing the voters. Senior Likud officials claimed Israel Katz and Haim Katz exploited their party roles to pressure Netanyahu into granting reserved slots in exchange for approving other reserved appointments on the list.