Likud vote on expanding Netanyahu’s control over party slate won’t be held today after court issues injunction

By Ariela Karmel

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16 July 2026, 4:50 pm

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Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu casts his vote during the elections for the Likud Central Committee, at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, November 25, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

A vote planned for today by the 4,500-member Likud Central Committee on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to dramatically expand his control over the party’s Knesset slate is called off, after the Lod District Court issues an injunction halting the process until all party members are given the opportunity to participate in the vote.

Under the plan, approved by the party’s Constitution Committee earlier this week, Netanyahu would be granted eight reserved slots on the Likud list, including three in the top 10 and six in the top 20, as part of a compromise with committee chair and veteran Likud MK Haim Katz.

The proposal has divided the party, with senior Likud MK David Bitan leading the opposition, as the plan would significantly increase the prime minister’s control over the slate from the three reserved spots he was allotted in the party’s 2022 primaries. The party’s primaries were previously postponed from August 4 to August 17 amid the ongoing dispute.

The injunction was issued following several petitions to halt the vote, including one filed by the Likud Social Forum, which calls the court’s decision “a victory for common sense” and vows to continue protecting the rights of all of Likud’s 150,000 registered members.

“We will not allow the elections to be stolen,” the group says.

In response, Likud says that Netanyahu “insists that every Likud member be able to exercise their right to vote.”

“Because legal delays disrupted the voting process and prevented many members from casting their ballots, the Likud chairman and prime minister instructed the party administration not to hold the vote today and to set a new date for a repeat vote in the near future,” the party says.