Bibi and Barak
Bibi and BarakFlash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu denied Monday he had promised Defense Minister Ehud Barak a designated spot on the Likud list should Barak's new Independence faction fail in the next elections.

"I give you my solemn word, I never promised Ehud Barak a designated slot," Netanyahu answered when MK Tzipi Hotovely directly asked the prime minister about rumors he planned to provide Barak with a political safety net.

Shiryunim – or "quota-slots" – are positions on party lists designated for immigrants, women, and other minorities a party wants to ensure is represented in the Knesset. Such positions are almost invariably assigned in consultation with party lawmakers and central committee members.

While the Likud is currently leading the pack in Israel's polls, Barak's Independence faction has yet to poll well enough to pass the threshold to be seated in the next Knesset should elections be held.

Rumors that Netanyahu would provide hot-and-cold political confederate and former IDF commander Barak with a designated spot on the Likud party list began to circulate the same day Netanyahu announced the Likud would hold early primaries on 31 January 2012.

The move has been roundly criticized both by the opposition and Likud lawmakers who say Netanyahu's sole purpose in suddenly moving up primaries is to ensure his political rivals do not have time to mount a campaign against him.

Vice Premier Silvan Shalom, who has declared that he would run against the prime minister and seek the party's leadership, said that he would take legal action against the initiative.

The vice premier reportedly told Netanyahu that "The Likud has rules and regulations. The primaries are supposed to be held up to six months before the general elections and not two years beforehand.

"The primaries are set to take place in November 2013 and there is no real reason to move them up."

MK Miri Regev urged Netanyahu to allow the Likud caucus to determine the date of the primaries, saying: "The public expects a party like the Likud to hold honest and fair primaries – even if it means delaying them by a few months."

However, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said that the move was "hardly tragic," adding that he himself will vote for Netanyahu – "given the fact that he is the only candidate."

Rivlin noted that "if the political situation will demand the Likud to hold additional primaries there are ways to do so."