Court ruling9/7/2026

Netanyahu Did Not Publish the Reserved Slots by the Deadline Set by the Likud Tribunal

The Likud’s internal tribunal required that a proposal for reserved slots on the candidate list be submitted in advance to the Secretariat. The deadline passed, but party chairman Benjamin Netanyahu did not publish the list; the source does not report the final outcome of the dispute.

Key facts

•Body: The Likud’s internal tribunal
•The decision was signed by Attorney Yitzhak Bam
•Deadline for publishing the proposal: 21:00
•The standard threshold for demanding a secret ballot: 10% of the Secretariat’s members
•Deadline for submitting the lists to the Central Elections Committee: 22:00
•First published: 07.09.2026, 21:16

What the Party Tribunal Ordered

The Likud tribunal considered the procedure for approving candidates whom the party chairman intends to grant reserved slots. Attorney Yitzhak Bam ruled: If a prepared proposal is not delivered to the members of the Secretariat by 21:00, the party’s legal adviser must explain why this should not be viewed as implied consent to a secret ballot without collecting the signatures of 10% of the Secretariat’s members.

Why the Dispute Arose

Under the rules, information about the proposal was supposed to be provided to the members of the Secretariat 48 hours before the vote, so they could review it and, if necessary, demand a secret ballot. The tribunal ruled that exceptional political circumstances may justify deviating from this deadline, but emphasized the need for publication as soon as possible. The tribunal believed that submitting the proposal immediately before the meeting could appear to be an improper attempt to pass the decision without sufficient discussion.

Netanyahu’s Position and the Postponement of the Meeting

The Likud’s legal adviser, Attorney Ilan Bombach, criticized the proceeding on Netanyahu’s behalf: According to him, only 115 minutes were allotted to review the extensive application, ascertain the facts and prepare the response, and the decision was made without hearing the other side’s position. He stated that the plan had been to submit the list in the morning and give the Secretariat several hours to review it. The meeting scheduled for 11:00 was postponed to 14:00, and even that time was not considered final; the deadline for submitting the lists to the Central Elections Committee was set for 22:00.

Dobronsky Gave Up the Slot on the List

High-tech entrepreneur Oren Dobronsky, who was offered a slot in the top ten, announced that he would not run for the Knesset. According to him, he had agreed with Netanyahu to join the Likud team solely as a professional minister for artificial intelligence affairs, and not as a member of the Knesset.

What this means for you

The decision concerns the Likud’s internal process for forming its candidate list, not citizens’ general right to vote. In practical terms, it underscores the right of members of the party institution to review candidacies in advance and decide whether a secret ballot is required. The source does not report whether such a vote was held or which slots were ultimately approved.

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