Likud approves reserved spots for Israel Katz and Sa’ar, freezes vote on Haim Katz

The Likud party secretariat has endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's strategy to secure key positions on the party's electoral list for Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Defense Minister Gideon Sa’ar. These reserved spots, separate from Netanyahu's own quota, mean that 10 of the top 29 positions will be allocated without a vote by the party's 140,000 members.

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a disgraceful move that mocks Likud voters.

However, the party's internal court intervened, freezing a vote on a guaranteed spot for Likud Central Committee chair Haim Katz. The court cited concerns that approving his reservation could create a reliance that might disrupt his ongoing primary campaign. While acknowledging potential arguments against the move, the court's decision highlights internal friction over candidate selection.

Netanyahu's push for reserved slots appears driven by a desire to avoid elevating candidates highly popular with the Likud base but potentially less appealing to moderate voters crucial for a general election. This includes figures like MK Tally Gotliv, who publicly slammed the decision as "disgraceful" and a mockery of Likud voters. The strategy also involves accommodating mergers, such as Sa'ar's New Hope party joining Likud, with the foreign minister's spot framed as a joint faction run rather than a reservation.

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Israel Katz is deeply afraid of the primary results and rightly so.

Further adjustments include shortening membership requirements to allow candidates from merging parties, like Ze'ev Elkin, to participate in the primary. This complex maneuvering within Likud underscores the party's efforts to balance internal party dynamics with broader electoral considerations ahead of the national vote.

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this is not actually a reservation, but rather a joint run of two factions within one list of candidates