Overview
- Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu has signaled he will personally press his proposal before Likud’s Constitution Committee after talks stalled, but senior party figures say a majority is likely to oppose him.
- Netanyahu is seeking a large bloc of reserved slots near the top of the list so he can place handpicked candidates, while rivals led by Chaim Katz and David Bitan demand a much smaller number and protection for district representatives.
- As a concession, Netanyahu has offered to fold separate women’s and youth quota spots into his reserved slots in an effort to blunt resistance to his plan.
- The dispute has spilled into activist messaging inside the party, with rival camps urging members to support or block the reserved slots and warning about what they call a takeover of the slate.
- Control of reserved slots matters because Israel’s closed party lists determine which candidates enter the Knesset and can shift Likud’s appeal to younger and minority voters and affect post‑election coalition math.