Likud to grant reserved slots on party list to Gideon Sa’ar, Israel Katz, Chaim Katz, on top of 8 spots already granted to PM for chosen candidates
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party announced that its secretariat will be asked to approve three additional reserved slots on the party’s electoral list, on top of the eight already granted to Netanyahu for candidates of his choosing.
The three slots will go to Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Likud Central Committee Chair Chaim Katz.
The announcement, made shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, says Sa’ar was guaranteed a reserved slot under the merger between his New Hope party and Likud. Israel Katz will receive one “to allow him to deal with security needs and not engage in politics at this time,” while Haim Katz will receive one because he chairs the Likud Central Committee.
It remains unclear why the three were not given three of Netanyahu’s existing eight reserved slots.
If approved, Netanyahu would control 11 of the top 30 spots on the Likud list ahead of the October 27 election.
The announcement came hours after Netanyahu’s first pick for his eight reserved slots, entrepreneur Oren Dobronsky, sparked an uproar after it emerged that he had called US President Donald Trump “morally corrupt” less than two months ago.
