The Likud party convention in Jerusalem gave final approval to all three proposals submitted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to reports. Proposal 2, which generated the most controversy, passed by a narrow margin of five votes. The prime minister's camp described the outcome as a 'crushing victory,' while opponents signaled the battle will move to the legal arena.
The Likud party convention in Jerusalem gave final approval Monday evening to all three proposals submitted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the most contentious measure — Proposal 2, which allows sitting MKs to also run in districts — passing by a narrow margin of five votes. The outcome was described by the prime minister's camp as a 'crushing victory' and is seen as a win for Netanyahu and committee chairman Haim Katz, who brokered the compromise.
The vote came after a day of intense internal maneuvering. Earlier in the evening, the Rishon LeZion branch, led by MK David Bitan, voted overwhelmingly against the proposals (The Zioneer, 22:32). The thread of reporting throughout the day showed a tight race: initial tallies from N12 indicated a gap of about 200 votes on the second clause (The Zioneer, Mon 15:56), and later reports confirmed a margin of six votes before the final count settled at five (The Zioneer, Mon 15:56). A compromise proposal by Minister Haim Katz had been approved by the Likud committee earlier this month (July 13).
The dispute over the Likud list composition has been a persistent source of internal tension. In June, Netanyahu threatened to leave the party unless granted 10 reserved slots, as The Zioneer reported on June 23. The approved proposals are expected to shape the party's list for the upcoming election, but opponents have signaled they will challenge the results in court, potentially delaying finalization.
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