Why Netanyahu Kept Katz on the List — the Unexpected Reason

A new survey among Likud members showed weak positions for Israel Katz. After that, Netanyahu decided to keep his place on the party list. The Likud's decision to keep Defense Minister Israel Katz on the party's Knesset list initially looked like a pragmatic step. However, new details published by journalist Sima Kadmon in Yedioth Ahronoth point to completely different motives behind this decision. According to the publication, the main reason for the sudden and unexpected decision was a detailed internal poll among Likud members. The survey was conducted by the Agam Institute under the leadership of Dr. Nimrod Nir. The results were extremely unfavorable for the defense minister. Among Likud members, Israel Katz ranked only 13th in the number of votes. If additional seats and district distribution are also taken into account, his position was even lower — 19th place on the party list.

The Likud's decision to keep Defense Minister Israel Katz on the party's list for the Knesset elections was initially presented as a pragmatic step, allowing him to focus on security issues. However, new details published by journalist Sima Kadmon in Yedioth Ahronoth reveal other motives. The main reason was an internal poll among Likud members, conducted by the Agam Institute under the leadership of Dr. Nimrod Nir. The results were extremely unfavorable for Katz: among party members, he ranked only 13th in votes, and with additional seats and districts, 19th on the list. It was on the night when the results became known that the Likud spokesman at 1:00 AM announced that Netanyahu had reserved Katz's place. The poll also revealed problems for Minister Haim Katz and Gideon Sa'ar, who did not land in realistic positions and risked losing their seats. Thus, Netanyahu's decision to keep places for the three politicians was related to a desire to prevent their exclusion from the list.