The Likud Secretariat is expected to be asked to approve the placement of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Likud Central Committee Chairman and Minister Haim Katz on the party's Knesset list on Tuesday, alongside the new reserved slots that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to add to the list.
"The Likud Secretariat will be asked to approve, alongside the prime minister's reserved slots, the placement of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and party Central Committee Chairman Minister Haim Katz on the Likud list, in addition to the new candidates the prime minister is expected to reserve,” Likud said in a statement.
The party said that the defense minister, “who in any case was expected to reach the top of the list, should be given a reserved slot in order to allow him to deal with security needs and not engage in politics at this time."
Sa'ar, on the other hand, will be placed on the Likud list as part of the unification agreement between his party and Likud, while Haim Katz will be placed on the list due to his position as chairman of the party's Central Committee, the statement said.
First slot given to Dobronsky
The development comes after Netanyahu's first reserved candidate for the Likud list was announced on Monday night: Oren Dobronsky, a businessman and panelist on Channel 12's "Shark Tank" program.
Netanyahu welcomed Dobronsky to the party, and Likud said that after the elections, he is expected to lead the field of artificial intelligence in the economy and the public sector, including in education, medicine, and the economy.