Netanyahu uses Likud’s first reserved slot for businessman who called Trump ‘piece of s***'

Likud announced on Monday that entrepreneur Oren Dobronsky, co-founder of Hotbar and a Silicon Valley figure, would receive Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's first reserved slot on the party's Knesset list. Dobronsky is expected to lead AI development in various sectors post-election. However, it emerged that Dobronsky had previously criticized Donald Trump, calling him "a morally corrupt person" for his handling of the Iran agreement. Dobronsky later retracted his statement, saying, "President Trump is the greatest friend that Israel ever had in the Whitehouse." This appointment is part of Netanyahu's broader effort to shape the party's messaging and slate ahead of the October 27 general elections, amidst internal debates over changes to the Likud primary system. Earlier on Monday, the Tel Aviv District Court upheld a decision to keep district slots open only to new candidates, preventing incumbent officials from competing.