Likud court approves reserved Knesset slot for Haim Katz after freezing vote

Israel's Likud party internal court has approved a reserved place on the party's Knesset slate for senior minister Haim Katz. The three-judge panel reached the decision on Wednesday by a majority vote, one day after issuing an interim order that temporarily blocked the move.

The court also unanimously approved reserved slots for Defense Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. The panel found that the party's election rules permit the Likud chairman to utilize his allocated slots to assemble a slate that represents the party's diverse constituencies.

The interim order was issued during Tuesday's Likud Secretariat vote because Haim Katz had already registered for the August 17 primaries and commenced his campaign. In its final ruling, the court stated that reserving a place for a veteran lawmaker who had intended to compete in the primary was less disruptive to other candidates compared to using the slot for an external contender.

This decision impacts the composition of the Likud's upcoming Knesset list, balancing the chairman's prerogative to shape the slate with the interests of existing party members who are already engaged in the primary process.