Likud court approves reserved Knesset slot for Haim Katz after freezing vote

The Likud's internal court approved a reserved spot on the party's Knesset slate for senior minister Haim Katz on Wednesday, reversing an earlier temporary block. The three-judge panel, by majority, also unanimously approved reserved slots for Defense Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar. The court determined that party election rules permit the Likud chairman to use allotted slots to create a slate representing various party constituencies. The initial block was due to Haim Katz having already registered for the August 17 primaries; however, the court concluded that reserving a place for a veteran lawmaker who intended to compete was less disruptive than for an outside contender.