Israeli Supreme Court Rejects Likud's Request to Expedite Primaries Hearing

The Israeli Supreme Court has denied the Likud party's request to advance the hearing concerning the party's internal district primaries dispute. The court ruled that the hearing will take place as scheduled on Thursday, August 13, at 9:00 a.m., and will not be moved to an earlier date. The decision noted that the original ruling under appeal was issued on August 10, and the appeal was filed only the following day, with no responses yet submitted, making the earliest possible hearing date August 13.

Likud officials warned that any judicial intervention in this matter could delay or even cancel the upcoming party primaries. The core of the dispute involves a Likud internal court ruling that prohibits sitting Knesset members and ministers from running in the party's district primaries. MK Afif Abd, who filed the appeal, argues that this decision was made without proper authority and that the Likud party constitution does not forbid elected officials from contesting district slots.

This legal battle is unfolding ahead of the 2026 elections and has significant implications for the party's candidate selection process. The Supreme Court's refusal to expedite the hearing maintains the status quo for now, but the outcome of the appeal could impact the scheduling and legitimacy of the Likud primaries.