The Likud Constitution Committee on Monday approved changes to the party’s primary system that will grant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authority to determine eight reserved slots on the party list ahead of the upcoming elections.
The decision marks a significant shift in the party’s system for holding primaries. For years, Likud has prided itself on conducting primaries in which its over 100,000 registered members are eligible to vote for the full Knesset list.
Additionally, the committee reportedly decided to postpone the primaries from August 8 to August 17, with the eight reserved slots drawn from within the party’s first 31 positions on the list.
Netanyahu joined the meeting at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem to vote. The decision is now expected to undergo final approval in the Likud Central Committee.
The proposal to change the primaries system has drawn internal opposition from senior Likud figures, including Construction and Housing Minister Haim Katz and MK David Bitan, who have objected to the changes.
Netanyahu working to ensure internal support for changing the system
Netanyahu reportedly has held several meetings with Katz ahead of the vote, seeking to bridge disagreements over the primary system.
Katz’s office stated after the vote that he had presented the proposal to make the changes for reserving the eight spots on the party’s list.
Various proposals were presented and discussed in the meeting regarding a temporary measure to change the primary system, districts, and reserved slots, Katz’s office added.
The vote on the primaries has been postponed multiple times, prompting reports that Netanyahu was working to secure internal support for changing the system.
A number of Likud lawmakers said they had received phone calls from Netanyahu associates, who asked them to withdraw from the party primaries and instead receive positions, according to a Monday KAN News report.
There have also been reports that Netanyahu has threatened to leave Likud if the proposed changes are not advanced.
Some of the reserved slots could reportedly go to figures such as Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and former finance minister Moshe Kahlon.
There have been objections from MKs within the party, who oppose changing the primary process, as it could cause those who would otherwise score highly in the primaries to fall further down the list.
Objections from MKs within the party
A fierce critic of changing the system has been MK Tally Gotliv, who is viewed as a candidate who would receive broad support from registered party members.
Gotliv released a video on Sunday claiming that Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Defense Minister Israel Katz were working behind the scenes to cancel the primaries to receive a high slot from Netanyahu.
“Two cowardly ministers are behind the disgraceful idea of canceling Likud’s primaries, Yariv Levin and Israel Katz,” she said. “They’ll deny it, but they’re working on a mechanism for a selection committee that will preserve their own power.”
Parties are not required to hold primaries in Israel, and only a few do so.
The Likud primaries are expected to be highly competitive. Likud currently has around 40 ministers and MKs serving in the government and Knesset, but recent polls project the party winning only about 25 seats, leaving many at risk of losing their places on the party’s Knesset list.
Likud MK Amit Halevi told The Jerusalem Post last month that Netanyahu may be working behind closed doors to influence Likud lawmakers ahead of the primaries to secure slots. Notably, he is a member of the Likud Constitution Committee.
Regarding who the reserved slots would ultimately be used for, Halevi told the Post that he believed some would be allocated to people who “embody the spirit of the party.”
“People from the military or people who paid personal prices in the war, who can strongly express the demand for victory,” he said.
Halevi is also among the party's MKs who expressed support for changing the system so that Netanyahu could secure the slots.
He said it was most important to do what would best help the party succeed in the elections.
The debate on how to hold the Likud primaries comes ahead of the general elections, which are set to take place on October 27.