Dichter's reserved spot sparks Gottlieb's protest: "Netanyahu should at least be fair"

Member of Knesset Tali Gottlieb launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following his intention to reserve a spot on the Likud list for Minister Avi Dichter, who was pushed to an unrealistic position in the primaries.

Gottlieb, who placed 20th herself after a negative campaign attributed to the Prime Minister's office, argued that reserved spots are intended to strengthen the list and recruit new faces, not to "grant a reserved spot to someone who failed in the primaries." According to her, the fair way is to cancel the slots reserved for new faces in the second ten, promote those who were elected at the ballot box to those spots, and push the reserved candidates who failed to the third ten.

Gottlieb added a call to give priority to female members of Knesset, arguing that otherwise, Likud is "playing into the hands of the left with a campaign of excluding women."

The background to these statements is the results of the Likud primaries, which concluded this week. In first place was Energy Minister Eli Cohen, followed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. Gottlieb, who suffered a focused negative campaign during the day that was attributed to Netanyahu's office, reached 20th place, which prevented her from taking the first woman slot on the list, reserved for Minister Miri Regev.

At the same time, some prominent names were pushed to unrealistic places, including Dichter, Minister Idit Silman, and Member of Knesset Nissim Vaturi. Against this background, it was reported that Netanyahu is considering granting Dichter a reserved spot—apparently the one originally reserved as a concession to the chairman of Religious Zionism, Bezalel Smotrich—a move that Gottlieb attacks as an infringement on the will of the voters.

Earlier, on the 18th of the month, Gottlieb addressed the results of her primaries in a firm tone and attacked what she described as attempts by the Prime Minister's circle to harm her:

"Even if the Prime Minister's circle really tried to thwart and weaken me, even if all the voices united in deals received an instruction not to mark me, and even if I am the only one who did not receive a message from the Prime Minister to strengthen her—the right-wing Likud voters fought for me with tremendous force."

Gottlieb added a warning to the Prime Minister's advisors: "If the Prime Minister's advisors look towards the center, towards Eisenkot, the left, unity, and other such statesmanlike words—I will not be silent, even if they impose a ban on interviews on me."