Report: Netanyahu seeking 10 reserved spots in party’s election slate

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is asking his Likud party to give him 10 reserved spots for candidates of his choice in the party’s election slate, eight of which will be in the top 25, Channel 12 reports.

The party is expected to vote on the proposal next week. It is set to hold party primaries on August 4.

The report adds that a proposal to keep almost all of the party’s members in their current positions may be brought to a steering committee.

The premier has sought to secure unprecedented influence over Likud’s Knesset slate, while broadening the party’s appeal beyond its traditional activist base. But the push has run into resistance from influential figures within his own party, exposing a rare internal power struggle over who will shape Likud’s future parliamentary lineup.

Netanyahu is reportedly concerned that primaries could elevate candidates who are highly popular among the Likud base but who internal party polling suggests are less appealing to moderate right-wing and swing voters whose support could prove decisive in the upcoming national election.