Likud

The Likud primary vote count ended with Eli Cohen in first place, while Boaz Bismuth narrowly beat David Bitan. Once reserved slots were factored in, several veteran ministers and Knesset members were pushed down the list. Likud said its slate reflects renewal and new leadership.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Likud’s party tribunal to reserve a place for Defense Minister Israel Katz, citing an "exceptional security situation that cannot be detailed at this time." The request was approved. Ministers Gideon Sa’ar and Haim Katz will also receive reserved slots.

A Tel Aviv District Court rejected Likud MK Afif Amin Abed’s petition against the party’s high court. The result: current and former Knesset members and ministers will not be allowed to run in district-reserved slots.

Likud’s internal court ruled that sitting Knesset members, ministers, and deputy ministers cannot compete for district slots in the party primaries, defying Netanyahu’s position. The decision sharply narrows their options in the fight for realistic places on the slate.

Amid the postponement of internal Likud elections because of internal disputes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting with local authority heads. Netanyahu said he opposes an organizing committee—but added: “If a national or security emergency requires it, an organizing committee will be established.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud chairman Haim Katz reached a preliminary agreement granting Netanyahu 10 reserved spots on the party's Knesset list.

The Knesset voted to grant MK Tally Gotliv immunity from criminal prosecution in the case involving the exposure of a Shin Bet agent’s identity. The decision followed heated debates in both the House Committee and the full Knesset.

The judges said political disagreements are not grounds for expulsion, and that former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s future should be decided by party members at the ballot box. Gallant’s attorneys, Boaz Ben Tzur and Carmel Ben Tzur, said: "An important message about the ability to express differing views within a political party."

Galit Distel Atbaryan, a Likud Knesset member, chair of the Communications Committee, and former minister of public diplomacy, announced that she is stepping away from political life: "I will not run in the primary."