A political drama is unfolding within the Likud ahead of the deadline for submitting Knesset slates: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed the Likud Court on Monday evening that he will publish Tuesday morning the names of the candidates he intends to reserve spots for on the party's slate.
Netanyahu's move comes after the Likud Court explicitly demanded that he submit the full list of candidates to it.
Meanwhile, Oren Dobronsky, whom Netanyahu had designated for the 11th spot, is expected not to be placed on the Likud Knesset slate. After it became clear that Dobronsky would have to give up his US citizenship, the chances that he will be submitted as a party candidate on Tuesday have dropped significantly. He has expressed a desire to withdraw and may instead be formally presented as a candidate for a ministerial position.
Dobronsky confirmed in a Facebook post that he had decided not to be placed on the Likud Knesset slate. He said Netanyahu had asked him to join the Likud team and offered him the position of minister for AI, along with a reserved spot in the party's top 10, but he preferred to serve as a professional minister.
"Friends, the Prime Minister asked me two months ago to join the Likud team for the upcoming election, and that is what will happen. The Prime Minister offered me the position of minister for AI and a reserved spot in the top 10 on the slate. Nevertheless, I preferred to serve only as a professional minister, where I can make the greatest contribution based on my experience, rather than be on the slate itself as a Knesset member, and that is what we agreed," Dobronsky wrote.
"I intend to work hand in hand with Prime Minister Netanyahu, as part of the Likud team, to ensure that the State of Israel becomes an AI powerhouse," he added.
Although the official deadline for submitting the lists is Tuesday at 10:00 p.m., Prime Minister Netanyahu has yet to publish the names of all the candidates he wants to reserve spots for.
Among the names Netanyahu is considering for the slate are attorney David Peter, who has represented the government in a number of cases, and attorney Yiska Bina, head of the Movement for Governance and Democracy. Netanyahu is also considering reserving a spot for Talik Gvili, mother of the late Ran Gvili who was murdered on October 7, 2023 and whose body was taken to Gaza.