Yair Netanyahu said to become a member of the powerful Likud Central Committee

Yair Netanyahu, the son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been made a member of the powerful Central Committee of his father’s ruling Likud party in an unelected role, Hebrew-language media reported Sunday.

The younger Netanyahu’s name was listed among the members of the party’s regional branch in Ma’ale Yosef, near the Lebanese border. Central Committee elections were held in November, but Netanyahu did not run, and instead appears to have been appointed as part of internal party agreements.

The Central Committee serves as the party’s main representative body, responsible for approving major policy decisions and internal rules. The body will directly influence the party’s Knesset slate ahead of the upcoming elections, which are due to be held no later than October 2026.

The appointment of Netanyahu’s son, a firebrand right-wing activist, appeared to be the latest in a series of attempts to bring him into Israeli politics in an unelected capacity.

In November, the Likud party attempted to secure him a cushy board position at the World Zionist Organization amid negotiations over the leadership of the WZO and Jewish National Fund-KKL, which controls billions of dollars in funding for Jewish causes.

According to Hebrew media reports at the time, the position he was slated to receive would have come with an office, a car, and a salary commensurate with that of a government minister.

A compromise agreement that was on the verge of being signed fell apart once the younger Netanyahu’s appointment was revealed, and had to be negotiated afresh, this time without his inclusion.

Netanyahu, 34, has spent much of the past two years living in Miami, Florida. He is known for his provocative social media presence and association with far-right European and American politicians and public figures.

He has repeatedly clashed with public figures, both at home in Israel and abroad.

In August last year, he suggested that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir was behind a “rebellion and attempted military coup,” after he was reported to have disagreed with the government’s preferred mode of operation in Gaza.

And in May, after massive wildfires swept through the Jerusalem Hills on the eve of Independence Day, he suggested that left-wing activists were to blame, before accusing the Shin Bet of failing to prevent the fires.

An investigation later ruled out arson.

Those who have found themselves a target of his ire also include Qatari Emir Tamim Bin Hamad al Thani, whom he called “the modern-day Hitler,” and French President Emmanuel Macron, whom he insulted over social media after France announced its plans to recognize an independent Palestinian state.

His criticism of Macron drew backlash, including from his father, who said that the “style” of his remarks was “unacceptable.”

Still, the premier has come to his son’s defense repeatedly.

In November, after leading right-wing commentators criticized Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, and his son for allegedly interfering in political affairs, the prime minister publicly pushed back, accusing the media of “slandering” his family.

Yair, he said at the time, “faces hostile attacks but continues to fight for the justice of our path out of deep patriotic love for the Land of Israel, the People of Israel, and our state.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.