Binyamin Netanyahu at Likud meeting
Binyamin Netanyahu at Likud meetingMiriam Alster/Flash 90

In a major blow to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the Likud Court has disqualified the Likud Central Committee's vote to approve Netanyahu's proposal to hold primaries for Likud Chairman and for the party's Knesset list on the same day - December 31.

On Wednesday, the committee voted in favor of Netanyahu's proposal to advance the date of primaries. In addition to moving the date forward, Netanyahu's proposal would allow the party chairperson to reserve the 11th and 24th spots on the Knesset list for candidates of his choosing. 

While the date of the primaries for Likud Chairman will remain December 31, the Likud court ruled that elections for the party list must take place on another day. The Likud Constitution Committee will be in charge of setting a new date. 

Additionally, the Likud Chairman will no longer be guaranteed the 11th and 24th spots on the party list. 

The petition against the validity of the Likud Central Committee's approval was filed Thursday - the day after the decision - by rival Likud MK Moshe Feiglin.

He argued that the Chairman of the movement, who is also a candidate in the primaries, "can not make use of the authority granted to him to bring proposals before the Central Committee when it concerns primaries in which he is a candidate." 

The Likud Court, headed by Michael Kleiner, studied the issue for several days.

Despite divisions in the panel of three judges, the court made its ruling Monday, citing the difficulties of candidates who wish to run in both the primary for Likud head and in the primary for Likud's Knesset list if these elections were to be held in the same day. 

Regarding Netanyahu's ability to reserve spots, the court ruled that it is "totally inconsistent with the fundamental principles of the primaries and infringes on the right of Likud members to choose their representatives as well as the right of candidates to be chosen." 

Netanyahu's campaign responded by calling the decision "perplexing... given that a striking majority of Likud Central Committee members voted to combine the elections and advance the primaries in order to save the party millions of shekels and to prepare for general elections as soon as possible."

"There is no doubt that the good of the party, including saving money and advancing in the general election, necessitates a change to today's decision."

A wider panel of five judges will launch a renewed discussion into the decision Tuesday.