Netanyahu Pushes Reserved Likud Slate Slots; Bitan Files 'Constitutional Coup' Petition
Published
Likud's Constitution Committee convened in the Knesset on Sunday, June 28, 2026, to weigh Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's demand for up to 10 or 11 reserved slots on the party's electoral slate, an unprecedented intervention ahead of the August 4 primaries. Reported beneficiaries include Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and former Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, both seen as electoral assets in a tight national race. Construction Minister Haim Katz, who chairs the committee, has resisted the breadth of the demand, and MK David Bitan petitioned Likud's internal court calling the move a "constitutional coup" against the party's roughly 100,000 members. Any rule change still requires Central Committee ratification; the panel also unanimously postponed the primaries from July 28 to August 4.
Israel Elections 2026: date, polls and results
Sources
Difference in reporting
Sources factually disagree on the precise number of reserved slots Netanyahu is demanding. JPost article-900271 and the Ynet ultimatum framing cite 10 reserved seats; Israel National News reports 11 reserved spots out of the first 40; ToI/JPost article-900740 reference up to 10-11 candidates among the top 35. Remaining facts uniform: Constitution Committee met Sunday June 28 2026 in the Knesset, primaries unanimously postponed to August 4, Haim Katz chairs the committee, David Bitan filed an internal-court petition calling the move a constitutional coup or ambush, reported beneficiaries include Gideon Sa'ar and Moshe Kahlon, roughly 100,000 Likud members are eligible to vote.
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