2 Likud MKs said to mull quitting primaries over guaranteed slots for Netanyahu loyalists

Two Likud lawmakers are considering dropping out of the party’s primary race in protest of reserved slots granted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to several senior figures, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

According to the network, the unnamed MKs are angered by Netanyahu’s decision to guarantee places on the party’s Knesset slate for Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Likud Central Committee chair Haim Katz.

Earlier today, the Likud secretariat approved Netanyahu’s decision to grant spots to Sa’ar and Israel Katz, while freezing the vote on Haim Katz.

Despite the reported tension within the Likud, Israel Katz is not expected to relinquish his reserved slot, the report says. The party is also reportedly seeking to unveil another candidate for a guaranteed place before the upcoming primaries.

The Kan report comes alongside a Channel 12 report shedding light on dissent within Likud, including a failed effort by party lawmakers – allegedly led in part by Economy Minister Nir Barkat – to replace Netanyahu through a no-confidence vote immediately following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught.

Channel 12 says Netanyahu now sees the primaries as an opportunity to settle scores and promote loyalists, with his decision to reserve a slot for tech entrepreneur Oren Dobronsky reportedly intended in part to weaken Barkat.