Likud Figures Say Yair Netanyahu Is Driving PM’s Reserved Slots

Tensions inside Likud are rising over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to secure personal reserved spots on the party list. Beyond his attempts to cancel the primaries, set up a steering committee, or alternatively obtain 10 reserved slots, senior party figures now say the push is being driven by his son, Yair Netanyahu.

Likud primaries are due no later than July 28. Party sources say Netanyahu, who serves as Likud chairman, is deliberately delaying action and has not convened party institutions to vote on the primary date, in order to maximize the number of personal slots he can win on the list.

Several senior Likud officials, including ministers, said names being floated around Netanyahu’s circle for reserved placement include Channel 14 host Magen TV? no, Magi Tzav? The source names Magi Tavyibi, Talik Guieli, the mother of Sgt. Maj. Ran Guieli, who was kidnapped and murdered on October 7 and later released in a deal, journalist Caroline Glick, and activist Tal Gilboa, Netanyahu’s adviser on animal issues. Gilboa said in a media interview that “Yair Netanyahu opened the door for me to the Prime Minister’s Office.”

Party sources also said Netanyahu wants to reserve a spot for someone from the right-wing “Bithonistim” movement, either founder Amir Aviv or CEO Yaron Buskila. The bluntest claim from senior Likud figures was that “Netanyahu’s reserved slots are not Benjamin Netanyahu’s reserved slots. They are Yair Netanyahu’s reserved slots,” arguing that the prime minister’s son is promoting people he knows or identifies with. They also said Yair Netanyahu is clearly associated with some of the names, especially Gilboa and Glick, who are seen as adopting a loud and extreme style.