Who Was Conspicuously Absent? The Battle Over the Likud List Reaches Court

The Tel Aviv District Court is hearing a petition against the cancellation of the districts clause in Likud, which would have allowed incumbent MKs to run in districts. The petition was filed by MK Afif Abed, and the Likud legal adviser joined his position. The ruling could affect the composition of the list.

The hearing at the Tel Aviv District Court is taking place today (Monday) on a petition against the Likud court's decision to cancel the districts clause, which would have allowed incumbent Knesset members to compete for the reserved slots for district representatives, thereby bypassing the regular primaries. The petition was filed by MK Afif Abed, who intended to run in the Galilee district and was disqualified as a result of the decision. The Likud's legal adviser, attorney Ilan Bombach, joined his position, demanding a ruling already today due to the tight schedule, with primaries expected in a week. At the center of the hearing, which was attended by MK David Bitan, in contrast to Minister Haim Katz, is the question of whether incumbent MKs will be able to use the district slots as an alternative route to the top of the list. About a week ago, the Likud court ruled that the decision approved by the party's central committee by a narrow majority to cancel the restriction cannot stand, citing harm to equality. The ruling could affect the composition of the Likud list and the internal struggle within the party.