# Likud Party primary selection dispute

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/likud-party-primary-selection-dispute
> Updated: 2026-07-26T07:20:19.000Z. Sources: 6. Developments: 2.

In late June 2026, Israel’s governing Likud party convened a constitutional committee to decide how its candidate list for the 26th Knesset would be formed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed to expand the leader’s reserved seats to ten of the top thirty positions, while party officials Hayim Katz and David Bitan argued for a limit of six and for maintaining district and regional slots. The debate also touched on reserved spots for women and youth and considered new candidate additions to shore up slipping poll numbers.

By late July, the Likud supreme court intervened, rejecting Netanyahu’s request to amend party rules to allow him to cancel the scheduled primaries if security deteriorated. The court ordered that members choose candidates, recommending electronic voting if physical polling stations become unavailable, and upheld the primaries slated for 17 August.

## Timeline

### 2026-07-26: Likud Court Bars Netanyahu from Canceling Party Primaries

Likud’s court rejected Netanyahu’s bid to gain authority to cancel party primaries, urging member‑based voting and preparation for electronic polls.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/likud-court-bars-netanyahu-from-canceling-party-primaries

### 2026-06-28: Likud Party Internal Dispute Over Knesset Candidate List

Likud's internal committee meets as Netanyahu seeks to reserve ten top‑30 seats on the Knesset list, facing opposition from party officials who favor only six seats and debate over women/youth quotas.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/likud-party-internal-dispute-over-knesset-candidate-list

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Cite as: Likud Party primary selection dispute. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/likud-party-primary-selection-dispute