Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won approval Sunday from Likud's Constitution Committee for a proposal that would significantly expand his control over the ruling party's candidate list ahead of the next general election, despite mounting opposition from senior party figures.
The proposal, approved during a renewed committee session chaired by Likud Central Committee Chairman Haim Katz and attended by Netanyahu, would allow the prime minister to personally reserve eight places on the party's parliamentary slate. A competing proposal by senior Likud lawmaker David Bitan failed to win support and will not advance to the party's Central Committee for a vote.
Likud Constitution Committee convenes to approve Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s election slate proposal
The decision follows days of internal disputes and legal challenges over proposed changes to Likud's primary election rules. The committee had been ordered to reconsider the proposal after a party tribunal intervened, while a district court last week halted an earlier vote, saying the changes required additional review.
Under Netanyahu's plan, his reserved slots would not require any further approval. Cabinet ministers, deputy ministers and incumbent lawmakers would be barred from running in district-based primaries, with the exception of the party's non-Jewish sector district.
The proposal also preserves the party's gender representation rules. Netanyahu's appointments would not override guaranteed places for women on the list. If only two women are elected within the top 14 positions, however, the guaranteed slot at No. 10 would be eliminated.
Supporters say the additional reserved positions would allow Netanyahu to recruit prominent candidates and strengthen political alliances before the election. Critics argue the move weakens Likud's internal democratic process by concentrating more power in the hands of the party leader. Netanyahu held three reserved slots in the party's 2022 primaries; the new proposal would expand that number to eight, including three within the top 10 places and six within the top 20.
The proposal also includes an emergency provision allowing Netanyahu to cancel party primaries altogether if Israel enters a wartime security situation severe enough to restrict public gatherings between the proposal's approval and the scheduled primary election. In that scenario, Netanyahu could instead appoint a selection committee to determine Likud's electoral slate.
Netanyahu publicly reiterated that possibility earlier Sunday, saying that "if the security situation does not allow primaries, we will determine the list through a selection committee." The comments revived an idea he had previously floated before agreeing to pursue a compromise that preserved primaries while expanding his appointment powers.
Bitan, one of the most outspoken critics of the plan, has said Netanyahu deserves some reserved slots but opposes the current proposal, arguing it would undermine Likud's democratic traditions and give the prime minister excessive control over the party's candidate list.