Court blocks planned Likud vote over disputed primary rules

The vote, which was scheduled to begin at noon, was intended to determine new rules for selecting the Likud’s candidate list ahead of the election for the 26th Knesset.

Likud officials announced Thursday afternoon that no vote would take place following the court order. Likud legal adviser attorney Ilan Bombach requested that the party convention vote be postponed due to delays in the legal proceedings, while the Likud court convened to discuss the matter.

The Social Forum alleged that the Likud administration had acted in direct violation of a party court ruling by preventing the forum’s proposed election rules from being brought to a vote.

The proposal was intended to ensure that all Likud members, including people with disabilities, could participate in the process.

The court issued a temporary order barring the Likud from holding the vote unless the forum’s proposal was also presented to the delegates, in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling. The petition was filed by attorney Eric Twito.

“This is a victory for common sense," the Social Forum said. "We will not allow the Likud elections to be stolen. The Social Forum affiliated with the National Labor Federation will continue to serve as the protective vest of the Likud’s 150,000 members.”

Polling stations were scheduled to operate from noon until 8 p.m. at 17 locations across Israel. Eligible delegates would have been allowed to vote at any location.

The proposal would grant the Likud chairman eight reserved positions on the party list, in slots 3, 5, 9, 11, 15, 18, 26, and 31.

Six of those positions would fall within the top 20, pushing candidates elected in the primaries further down the list.

The proposal represented a retreat from Netanyahu’s initial demand for as many as 11 reserved positions, including five in the top 10.

At one point, Likud officials assessed that delays in agreeing on the system could result in the cancellation of the primaries and the establishment of a committee to appoint the party’s candidates.

The proposal would also introduce significant changes to the structure of the candidate list, including redistributing district slots and guaranteeing representation.

It would allow ministers, deputy ministers, and incumbent MKs to compete in district races, a provision that has drawn strong opposition from party activists.

District slots have traditionally provided new candidates with a path into the Knesset while preserving geographic representation.

Allowing incumbent lawmakers to compete for those positions would give an MK concerned about failing to secure a place on the nationwide list the option to run in a smaller, potentially more favorable district race.

Such candidates would compete against activists who have spent years building local support.

Opponents argue that combining reserved positions with the opening of district races to incumbent lawmakers would significantly limit Likud members' influence over the final list.

The proposal also includes guaranteed representation for women, young people, immigrants, and other groups.

Although the primaries would formally remain in place, critics argue that fewer viable positions would be determined through the nationwide vote.

Ahead of the scheduled vote, Bitan released a video urging delegates to reject the proposals.

“The proposals today are Haim Katz’s proposals, which he pressured the prime minister to bring to a vote,” said Bitan.

“Anyone who loves the Likud and protects democracy in the movement is voting today against the proposals at the convention,” he added.

Bitan noted that if the proposal were rejected, Netanyahu could present a new plan that was not adopted “under pressure from Haim Katz.”

He also argued that eight high-ranking reserved positions would effectively amount to “an appointments committee in practice.”

Bitan does not oppose granting the Likud chairman the authority to reserve positions in principle.

During the negotiations, he promoted a more limited proposal that would give Netanyahu three viable reserved positions, in slots 2, 6, and 16, as well as two additional positions in slots 39 and 48.

His proposal also called for regular primaries and for district positions to remain reserved for new candidates.

Bitan argued that the party chairman should not be given a “blank check” without delegates knowing who the intended candidates were, what electoral value they would bring, and which incumbent lawmakers would be pushed into nonviable positions.

Tensions escalated during a meeting of the Likud Constitution Committee, where Bitan warned against the “political elimination” of incumbent lawmakers.

Netanyahu responded, according to those present, that Bitan should run for Likud leader and see how many Knesset seats he could deliver.

Bitan became angry after details of the exchange were leaked to the media in real time. He blamed Netanyahu’s associates and left the meeting.

The committee later approved Katz’s proposal by a majority vote.

Although the plan has sometimes been described as “Netanyahu’s proposal,” it was developed through cooperation between Netanyahu and Katz.

Netanyahu demanded the reserved positions, while Katz, who heads both the Likud Central Committee and the Constitution Committee, drafted the mechanism and advanced it through the party’s institutions.

As part of the negotiations, Netanyahu visited Katz’s home after Katz had expressed reservations about the original demand for more reserved positions.

Bitan has sought to persuade delegates that voting against the proposal would not amount to voting against Netanyahu.

He argues that his campaign is directed against an arrangement that Katz imposed on the Likud chairman.

The approach is also intended to give delegates political space to oppose the proposal without appearing to challenge Netanyahu directly.

The dispute comes amid a longstanding power struggle between Katz and Bitan, two of the Likud’s most influential figures.

The two have competed in recent months for control of the party convention’s institutions and the Likud constitution.

Bitan demonstrated considerable strength in internal branch elections, while Katz retains formal control of the Central Committee and the Constitution Committee.

Supporters of the proposal argue that Netanyahu needs flexibility to refresh the list, recruit figures with electoral appeal, and facilitate political alliances ahead of the election.

Gideon Sa’ar is among the names mentioned as a possible candidate for a reserved position.

Supporters view the eight positions as a reasonable compromise compared with Netanyahu’s original demand and with the earlier possibility of canceling the primaries altogether.

The plan has also caused unease among ministers and MKs who are not aligned with Bitan.

Many have avoided publicly confronting Netanyahu, but each reserved position near the top of the list pushes other candidates further down.

An MK who secures the 20th position in the primaries could fall into the 30s once reserved positions, district slots, and guaranteed representation are added.

The secret ballot has therefore caused greater concern in Netanyahu’s office than an open vote, since delegates who publicly support the proposal could vote against it in private.

If the proposal is approved, the primaries are expected to take place on August 17 under the new rules.

If it is rejected, the Likud will face a brief and pressured effort to formulate an alternative system, with Bitan expected to push for a more limited proposal.

One possible compromise would preserve Netanyahu’s reserved positions while rejecting the provision allowing incumbent MKs to compete in district races.

The result would reflect more than a disagreement over the structure of the candidate list.

Approval would strengthen Netanyahu and Katz and demonstrate their control over the new convention.

Rejection would give Bitan, concerned lawmakers, and district activists a significant political victory, while showing that the Likud leadership can no longer assume that the party’s institutions will automatically support every proposal.

“Likud chairman Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that all Likud members be able to exercise their right to vote," the Likud Party said in response. "In light of the fact that legal delays disrupted the voting process, and many Likud members did not exercise their right to vote, Likud chairman Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the Likud administration not to hold the vote today and to set a date in the near future for a new vote.”