Tensions are running high within Israel's Likud party ahead of a crucial party secretariat meeting scheduled for Monday at 5:00 PM, where members are set to vote on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reserved slots for the 26th Knesset list. According to journalist Anna Barsky reporting for Maariv, the session could turn into a dramatic internal power test for Netanyahu.
Party sources indicate that Netanyahu has decided to fill his five remaining reserved slots with new candidates from outside the party, rather than using them to promote longtime Likud members who were pushed to low or unrealistic positions in the recent primaries. This decision has sparked significant discontent among party activists and representatives. In response, secretariat members are now organizing an initiative to demand a secret ballot on the candidates Netanyahu presents. Those behind the effort estimate that under secret ballot conditions, it's uncertain whether all five reserved slots would receive the necessary approval.
