A dramatic development unfolded in the Likud on Thursday when the Lod District Court issued an injunction halting a vote on the proposed overhaul of the party’s primary system.

The court’s decision came moments before the planned vote among approximately 4,500 Likud Central Committee members.

The ruling was issued in response to a petition filed by the Social Forum, affiliated with the National Histadrut, which claimed that the planned reform to the party’s internal election system violates the integrity of the process.

The center of the dispute was a proposal by Likud Central Committee Chairman and Minister Chaim Katz to overhaul the party’s primary system. The proposal had received the backing of Likud chairman and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu earlier this week and was approved by the party’s Constitution Committee.

Under the proposal, Netanyahu would have received eight reserved slots on the Likud Knesset list—in positions 2, 5, 9, 11, 15, 18, 26, and 31. The proposal also included a new division between the national list and district representatives, along with mechanisms guaranteeing representation for women, young candidates, immigrants, non-Jews, and people with disabilities.

The proposal sparked sharp disagreement within the Likud during the Constitution Committee’s deliberations. MK David Bitan opposed increasing Netanyahu’s reserved slots, left the meeting before the vote, and presented an alternative plan that would have granted the prime minister only three reserved slots.

The Social Forum welcomed the ruling, saying: “This is a victory for common sense. We will not allow the elections in the Likud movement to be stolen. The Social Forum affiliated with the National Histadrut will continue to serve as the shield protecting the 150,000 registered Likud members.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)