Likud court freezes Netanyahu's reserved slot on party list for Haim Katz

The Likud Party's internal court has issued an interim order freezing a reserved Knesset slot intended for Likud Central Committee Chairman Haim Katz. The decision came during a vote by the party's secretariat on approving three reserved slots for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's appointees ahead of upcoming elections.

The court's reasoning for blocking Katz's slot was that he had already registered for the August 17 primaries and commenced campaigning. The court suggested that approving the reserved slot could create a disadvantage for Katz if the decision were later overturned, forcing him back into a potentially unprepared campaign.

While Katz's slot is on hold, reserved positions for Defense Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar are still anticipated. Sa'ar is set to receive a slot as part of a merger agreement between his party and Likud. The party stated that the defense minister would receive a reserved slot to allow him to focus on security needs rather than political campaigning.

These internal party maneuvers have generated significant tension, with some members supporting the changes and others strongly opposing them. The prime minister's authority to control party list positions was recently expanded, allowing him to determine eight slots within the top 30 positions.

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even though he was already expected to reach the top of the list, in order to “allow him to focus on security needs rather than engage in politics at this time.”