Netanyahu probes Likud list overhaul amid internal party turmoil

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked his legal advisers whether a motion to replace the government with an alternate candidate could be filed during the Knesset’s summer recess, reflecting deepening worries about the Likud party’s electoral list. Netanyahu is pushing a plan to reserve ten seats for himself and to allocate additional spots to candidates he selects, changes that party members say would shrink the number of realistic slots for incumbent MKs and could lead to their exclusion.

The proposal has sparked fierce opposition within Likud, with some members reportedly considering a replacement candidate such as David Adlerstein. Senior officials warn the reshuffle could turn the primary election into a tool for Netanyahu rather than a party‑wide contest, raising the risk of a confidence‑vote challenge and heightened factional splits ahead of the upcoming elections.