US Citizenship and Knesset Service: Legal Requirements

Oren Dobronsky, a prominent Israeli businessman who was expected to receive a reserved slot on the Likud party's Knesset list, announced late Monday night that he will not run for parliament in the upcoming elections. His reason is that serving as a member of Knesset would require him to give up his American citizenship.

In a statement released overnight, Dobronsky explained that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had approached him two months earlier with an offer to join the Likud team for the next election cycle. "The prime minister asked me to join the Likud slate in the upcoming elections, and so it will be," Dobronsky wrote. "The prime minister offered me the position of minister for AI affairs and a reserved spot in the top ten of the list."

However, he said he preferred a different arrangement. "Despite this, I chose to serve only as a professional minister, where I can contribute the most from my experience, rather than being on the list itself as a Knesset member, and that's what we agreed upon," he stated.

Dobronsky is known to Israeli audiences partly through his appearances on the television program "Sharks" (Israel's version of Shark Tank). He is a successful entrepreneur and one of the pioneers of Israel's high-tech sector. When Likud announced his recruitment about a month ago, the party said Dobronsky would "lead the artificial intelligence agenda in the economy, education, healthcare, and all branches of the state" following the elections.

Concluding his statement, Dobronsky emphasized his continued commitment: "I intend to work hand in hand with Prime Minister Netanyahu, as part of the Likud team, to ensure that the State of Israel becomes an AI superpower."

The announcement comes amid a dramatic 24 hours within Likud. Netanyahu informed the party's internal court that he would publish the names of candidates he wishes to reserve on the party list this morning, after the court issued an ultimatum Monday evening requiring him to release the reserved slots by 9 p.m.

The party court noted that publishing the names of reserved candidates shortly before voting "could be interpreted as an improper hijacking" of the process, and warned that if the announcement was not made on time, the judges would consider allowing a secret ballot in the Likud secretariat.

Netanyahu received eight reserved slots up to position 30 on the list, placed at positions 3, 5, 9, 11, 15, 18, 26, and 29. With Dobronsky's withdrawal, the 11th spot, originally designated for him, is now vacant, and Netanyahu will need to decide who will fill it.