"The plan to save Haim": The strong man in Likud attacks Netanyahu's reserved spots
"I am in principle in favor of Prime Minister Netanyahu's reserved spots that will bring in quality people and the reserved spots will achieve their goal, and I voted in favor of it," said the mayor of Netivot, Yehiel Zohar. "A reserved spot for Haim Katz, veteran as he may be, does not add to the list, and he should have run like everyone else in the primaries."
The mayor of Netivot, Yehiel Zohar, considered one of the strongest figures in Likud who holds sway over thousands of registered members, was furious about Netanyahu's reserved spots. In a conversation with Walla, he sharply attacked what he calls "the plan to save Haim."
"It is a plan to save Haim. I am in principle in favor of Prime Minister Netanyahu's reserved spots that will bring in quality people and the reserved spots will achieve their goal, and I voted in favor of it. A reserved spot for Haim Katz, veteran as he may be, does not add to the list, and he should have run like everyone else in the Likud primaries, and thus we would know what the strength of Minister Haim Katz is."
In a statement published last night, the Likud party announced that its secretariat will be asked to approve, in parallel with the Prime Minister's reserved spots, the placement of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and the chairman of the party center, Minister Haim Katz, on the Likud list — this is in addition to the new reserved candidates that Netanyahu intends to bring.
According to the statement, "The movement's court determined last week that the Defense Minister, who was expected to reach the top of the list anyway, should be reserved a spot in order to allow him to deal with security needs and not deal with politics at this time." Likewise, it clarified that Sa'ar will be placed within the framework of the unification agreement of his party with the Likud movement, and Katz due to his role as chairman of the party center.
