High-profile case8/12/2026

Likud Tribunal Permits Netanyahu to Reserve a Slot for Haim Katz

Likud’s internal tribunal ruled that Benjamin Netanyahu may reserve in advance slots on the party slate for three ministers. The decision regarding Haim Katz was adopted by a majority vote, while the decisions regarding Israel Katz and Gideon Sa’ar were adopted unanimously.

Key facts

•Body: Likud’s internal tribunal
•Publication and update date: August 12, 2026
•Decision regarding Haim Katz: by majority vote
•Decisions regarding Israel Katz and Gideon Sa’ar: unanimous
•The reservation was permitted before the primaries
•The case number is not specified in the source

What the Tribunal Decided

The tribunal permitted Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu to reserve slots on the party slate for Minister Haim Katz, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. This may be done even before the party holds its primaries.

How the Judges Voted

The tribunal’s chairman, attorney Michael Kleiner, and tribunal member attorney Rafi Boker supported reserving a slot for Haim Katz. Attorney Yitzhak Bam held that such a decision was inadmissible before the primaries were held. The slots for Israel Katz and Gideon Sa’ar were approved unanimously.

The Dispute Surrounding Haim Katz

Yitzhak Bam noted that the claim of a possible connection between reserving a slot for Haim Katz and his agreement, in his capacity as chairman of the Constitution Committee, to pass the reservation decision was based on media reports whose source was unclear. According to a report by Davar, the minister himself completely rejected this claim before the tribunal.

The Majority’s Reasoning

Michael Kleiner held that including a successful minister and experienced member of Knesset who had proven his loyalty to the party on the slate was preferable to fielding an outside candidate. The case number and the precise provisions of the party constitution applied by the tribunal are not specified in the source.

What this means for you

The decision allows the Likud leadership to reserve slots for the named ministers before the party holds primaries. For party members and voters, this means that not every slot on the future slate will be determined solely by the results of the primary vote. The source does not provide the exact placement of each minister or any other conditions of the reservation.

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