Likud Primary May Move to Mid-August as Rules Vote Faces New Delay

Likud's Constitution Committee opened its Jerusalem meeting late Monday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived, with no agreement on rules for the party's Knesset slate. Haim Katz submitted a proposal agreed with Netanyahu for eight personal slots, with reports differing on whether the first would be at position 2 or 3 while listing the same seven later positions. Netanyahu's camp is seeking a two-stage convention that would first approve ordinary rules and later amend the party constitution to authorize leader-reserved slots. Reports also differ between August 17 and 18 for the rescheduled primary while placing the rules vote on Thursday; no final decision had been reached.