New list of WZO appointments excludes Yair Netanyahu despite reports of pressure from PM’s office

Following the dramatic collapse Wednesday night of an agreement on appointments at key Zionist institutions, World Zionist Organization heads are voting on a new slate of incoming executive appointments that does not include Yair Netanyahu, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial elder son.

A source in the WZO says there is currently no path for Yair Netanyahu to receive the appointment. However, the source notes, the Prime Minister’s Office made an effort overnight to torpedo the new list so that Yair could still be included.

Under the arrangement currently up for vote, Rabbi Doron Perez, chairman of the religious Zionist World Mizrachi movement — and father of Cpt. Daniel Perez, who was killed in the October 7 Hamas attack and whose body was held captive in Gaza for two years — will become the next WZO chair. Halfway through the five-year term, Yaakov Hagoel, the current chairman, will replace him.

A list of about 30 other people is set to be approved as members of the WZO Executive. In addition to these, the current draft of appointments allows for two other members to be added by the World Likud party in the future, to be approved by a vote of the Zionist General Council.

As the ZGC would never approve the nomination of Yair Netanyahu, this closes off any possibility of him getting in, the WZO source says.

The vote, currently underway, closes Tuesday morning, the source notes.