Bitan Petitions Likud Court for Secret Slot Vote as Netanyahu Delays Rules Meeting

MK David Bitan, chairman of the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee, petitioned Likud's internal tribunal on Wednesday to fix rules for the August 4 party primary and force a secret vote on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's demand for ten reserved slate slots. Bitan called the plan effectively an arranging committee and warned it would gut the primary. Netanyahu's legal adviser separately asked to postpone the constitution committee meeting from Thursday to Sunday, citing urgent constraints involving the prime minister, the third such delay. Committee chair Minister Haim Katz has signaled openness to six slots. Netanyahu's slots would sit at positions 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22 and 29.