Late-Night Announcement Surprises Party Officials

Netanyahu Reserves Slots for Three Ministers

Prime Minister seeks party approval to guarantee spots for Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, and party center chairman Haim Katz on Likud's Knesset slate

Gila Isaacson

AUG 11, 2026 10:37

2 min read

In a late-night announcement issued after 1:00 a.m., Israel's ruling Likud party revealed that its secretariat will be asked to approve reserved positions on the party's Knesset list for three senior ministers: Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and party center chairman Minister Haim Katz. These reserved slots would be in addition to those already allocated to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The announcement came just hours after Likud revealed that businessman Oren Dubrovsky would join the list as Netanyahu's first reserved candidate in the 11th position. Dubrovsky, founder of a hummus restaurant chain in Silicon Valley and known from the Israeli version of "Shark Tank," is expected to lead artificial intelligence initiatives in the economy following the elections.

According to Likud's statement, "the movement's tribunal ruled last week that the Defense Minister should be reserved a spot, as he was expected to reach the top of the list in any case, in order to allow him to focus on security needs rather than engage in politics at this time."

Regarding the additional reserved positions, the party clarified that Sa'ar will be placed as part of the merger agreement between his party and Likud, while Haim Katz receives his reserved slot due to his role as chairman of the party's central committee.

Party sources indicated this morning that Israel Katz will be reserved a position in the second group of five candidates, while Haim Katz will be reserved a spot up to the 18th position on the list. These reservations come on top of the eight reserved slots Netanyahu received extending to the 30th position, located at positions 3, 5, 9, 11, 15, 18, 26, and 29.

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