In a dramatic overnight political move, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced that he will reserve places on the Likud electoral slate for Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, and Likud Central Committee Chairman Chaim Katz. The decision was announced shortly after midnight and will require formal approval from the party’s secretariat.
The announcement, released after 1:00 a.m., stated that the Likud Secretariat will be asked to approve the placement of the three senior officials on the party’s Knesset list alongside the prime minister’s previously designated reserved candidates.
The decision came just hours after Likud revealed that businessman Oren Dobronsky would receive Netanyahu’s first reserved slot, placed 11th on the party’s list. Dobronsky, founder of a Silicon Valley hummus restaurant chain and known for his appearance on the Israeli version of Shark Tank, is expected to spearhead artificial intelligence policy should Likud remain in power after the election.
In its statement, Likud explained that the party’s internal court had already ruled last week that Defense Minister Yisrael Katz should receive a reserved place on the list.
“The movement’s court ruled last week that the defense minister, who in any event was expected to finish near the top of the list, should receive a reserved position so that he can focus on the country’s security needs rather than political activity at this time,” the statement said.
The party also explained the reasoning behind the other two reserved positions.
“Sa’ar will be placed on the list under the terms of the merger agreement between his party and the Likud movement, while Katz will receive a reserved position because of his role as chairman of the party’s Central Committee.”
Likud sources said Tuesday morning that Yisrael Katz is expected to receive a reserved slot within the party’s second group of candidates, while Chaim Katz is expected to be guaranteed a place no lower than 18th on the list.
The three reserved positions are in addition to the eight slots Netanyahu already controls through the 30th spot on the Likud slate. Those reserved positions are located at numbers 3, 5, 9, 11, 15, 18, 26, and 29.
{Matzav.com}
