Israel’s governing Likud Party will hold primaries on Monday to choose candidates for the country’s upcoming general election. The vote will determine the order of much of Likud’s candidate list, which is crucial under Israel’s proportional-representation system.
The primaries are expected to draw particular attention because the election could be especially consequential for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his party. Likud’s internal contests are known as some of the most heated events in Israel’s political calendar.
How the candidate list affects Knesset seats
Israeli parties submit ranked lists of candidates, and seats in the 120-member Knesset are allocated according to each party’s share of the vote. If Likud received 23.4 percent, as it did in the last election, the top 32 names on its list would take seats.
Likud members choose candidates and their order, except for places reserved for women, young candidates and recent immigrants, along with positions personally selected by Netanyahu. Eight places are granted through his role as party leader and three through internal agreements, leaving 15 realistic places among the top 30 for other candidates.
Three senior figures have uncontested places
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar received an uncontested place after his New Hope party merged with Likud in March 2025. Defence Minister Israel Katz and Haim Katz, chair of Likud’s Constitution Committee, also have places secured through separate party arrangements.
Israel Katz has taken hardline positions on Gaza and southern Lebanon, while Gideon Saar has supported the government’s position on Gaza and criticised international opponents. Haim Katz, a longtime Netanyahu ally, has also supported the government’s position on Gaza.
Netanyahu’s other choices and the party’s role
Netanyahu has publicly backed candidates including former Otzma Yehudit lawmaker Almog Cohen, but he has not said who else he will nominate. Likud has given a place to technology entrepreneur and television personality Oren Dobronsky, who said he would focus on artificial intelligence in the economy, education, healthcare and finance if elected.
Likud has played a central role in Israeli politics since Menachem Begin led it to power in 1977, ending the Labor-left’s longstanding dominance. The party has since led governments involved in major wars and military campaigns and has opposed progress towards the two-state solution agreed by Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in the 1990s.
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