Israeli premier seeks reserved party spots for defense, interior ministers in upcoming elections

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he intends to seek approval for reserved spots on the Likud party list for Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Minister Haim Katz ahead of this year’s legislative elections.

According to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Netanyahu is expected to bring the proposal before Likud’s party secretariat for approval.

The announcement came as Likud lawmakers and ministers were competing over their positions on the party’s list for the Oct. 27 elections.

The Likud list refers to the party’s official slate of candidates for parliamentary elections. Under Israel’s electoral system, voters choose a party, and candidates enter the Knesset according to their order on the party list and the number of seats the party wins.

The proposed reserved spots would secure positions for Katz, Saar and Haim Katz, who chairs the Likud Central Committee, on the party’s election slate.

The move comes amid internal competition within Likud as ministers and lawmakers seek higher placements on the list before the next parliamentary vote. The elections determine the governing coalition that succeeds the current government led by Netanyahu.

Netanyahu’s Likud party said in June that the premier will seek re-election in the upcoming polls.

Netanyahu has been wanted since 2024 by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, where more than 73,000 people have been killed and over 174,000 injured in a brutal war since October 2023.